


In Time

by LadyZephyr



Category: Orphan Black (TV)
Genre: F/F, after effects, out of time, timetravel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-16
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-05-06 22:56:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5433944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyZephyr/pseuds/LadyZephyr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The continuation of "In Time" from the 168 hour challenge.</p><p>Given the opportunity to test a timetravel device, graduate student Cosima Niehaus leaps at the chance, not expecting to meet Delphine Cormier in 1910 Montréal. Star-crossed lovers risk everything to be together.</p><p>A smaller fic present for twig_height and cophinaphile, who both wanted this story continued.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [twig_height](https://archiveofourown.org/users/twig_height/gifts), [Cophinaphile](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cophinaphile/gifts).



_Montréal, Québec 1910_

Delphine sighs, as she hops from the streetcar and continues towards the office. She’d rather go back home, and repose herself with a filling meal and a good book. Instead, she must return to assist her father.

“Vieille fille.” She mutters grumbling to herself. “Vieille fille.” Why would this client of her fathers have brought that up? Especially before the construction was completely negotiated?

She wasn’t unaware of her status, which was partially by choice anyway. Papa needed her help with the business, especially her English skills, and although turning down two marriage proposals was rare but what else was she supposed to do? She didn’t want to be a wife, did not want a child every year until age finally relieved her of that burden, she wanted to study, to learn. By now she was used to her life of spinsterhood, so used to it she could not imagine her life any other way.

It had been six years since the last one, when she’d been twenty - her papa had looked at her in disbelief. Healthy young man, good family, good prospects, and a small but growing business Delphine would have had a hand in running. He hadn’t understood.

“Qu’est-ce que je ferai avec une vieille fille?” Papa had sighed, shaking his head.

“Garderas ma dot.” Delphine had responded without hesitation. Papa had laughed, despite himself, kissed her on the cheek and sent her back to work. Keeping her dowry was not an issue for Monsieur Cormier, keeping her assistance with the family business was. When she had finished school in Québec with the Ursuline nuns she had begged her father to let her join the order, to continue with her studies - but he had simply shaken his head. He had not spent money on years of education for her only to lose her to the convent. What good would she do him there? At least at home, she was useful.

Nevertheless she found herself hurrying through town before the banks closed to make a deposit for her father, and rushing back. His latest client, Aldous Leekie, did not speak French well and both men had been relying on Delphine to make themselves clear.

She catches sight of something that seems strange, a slight woman dressed almost normally, as she is, but with a device in her hand. She blinks at a quick flash as the woman points it towards a building, before tucking it back into her bag. And what a strange bag it is, Delphine notes, stepping closer to get a better look.

The woman’s head is covered by a hat, but she looks around seemingly disoriented. Her dark clothes seem slightly off with the season, either in mourning or terribly lost, Delphine decides observing from a distance.

“Très bizarre.” Delphine comments to herself, no one else has seemed to notice and despite her supposed need to return quickly she hesitates, watching the stranger as she pulls a pocketwatch seemingly out of nowhere and holds it up to her face. But not to check the time… instead she holds it barely an inch from her mouth.

 

**

“Well I made it.” Cosima huffs into the small device, disguised as a pocketwatch. She’s overheated, wearing far too many layers for her liking and she’s getting sick of these jumps. It was too humid, why her professors had chosen summer for her jumps she’ll never know.

The voice from the other side is garbled, “24 hours Cosima. The test isn’t done yet.”

“It’s been eight hours. I took the polaroids, isn’t that enough? Come on Scotty, there’s like horse shit everywhere. I only have five negatives left.”

“24 hours, just like the last jump. I can’t reset the system. You know I don’t have clearance.” Scott’s voice is slightly distorted, but at least he sounds sympathetic.

“Why Montreal? Really? It’s full of French people. My high school French sucks. And people don’t bathe enough and they’re all like...hairy and… I want to skip to the 1920s. At least that will be fun.”

Scott seems to be increasingly annoyed at his assigned task of monitoring her progress, “It’s a metropolitan centre. Largest Canadian city at the time. Just stay out of the way, and keep your hair covered. I’ll check in again in another eight hours.”

“Yeah.. fine.” Cosima sighs as the sound cuts out again, she can see the countdown once again before she closes the pocket watch with a sigh. She’s dressed for the era, long skirt, long blouse, everything but the corset she’d passed on. Looking around she sees people milling about the streets, horse-drawn carriages still used by some, as they conduct their daily business. Streetcars still run, and would for another 40-odd years until the gasoline lobby was powerful enough to push for their removal. It was not a rough area of town, they had planned this well enough that she would be relatively safe for her 24 hour stint, though finding a place to spend the night could be challenging.

She catches sight of a woman, walking elegantly down the street towards her, long blue skirt and high necked white blouse. Tendrils of fair curls escape the bun at the back of her head and she seems to be in a hurry. Without a hat, she seems younger, when she turns Cosima swears the world stops for a moment, all she can see is hazel eyes looking back at her, probably taking in her slightly off appearance. She’s dressed for the period, and she’s done her best to conceal the fact she has dreads - a hat covering her own head. She thinks instantly of the polaroid camera in her bag, and wanting to waste a photograph on this beautiful woman.

The woman frowns, brow furrowing in her direction. Maybe something is off with her costuming, maybe she doesn’t fit in quite right. Maybe a dread is sticking out from the bun. Shit, Cosima thinks, wondering if she should find a place to hide.

Instead a sweet voice speaks as the other woman approaches her, “Êtes-vous perdues?”

Cosima stops for a moment, “Umm.”

“Are you lost?” The woman repeats in perfect, albeit accented, English.

“Yes.” Cosima simply says nodding her head at the beautiful stranger, “I was supposed to meet my uncle, but he hasn’t shown up.” Her cover story had been predetermined by her professors, she’s altered it slightly. She cannot stand the thought of telling anyone she has a husband, for example. Nor does she want to be an oddity, instead she is supposed to present as a young widow, in town solely to visit her uncle and his family.

“What are you looking for?” The woman speaks slowly and clearly, as if she is concentrating on the pronunciation of the words. She looks at her intently, and all Cosima can think about is how beautiful she is, the gentle concern in her eyes.

“I….I can’t remember.” Cosima manages finally, “I’m Cosima.” Forbidden to use her last name by her professors, this is as much as she can volunteer for the moment.

“Bonjour.” The woman greets her politely, “Do you need help?”

Cosima hesitates, she does require a place to stay overnight, it would be seven am before her travel marker would activate and she’d be brought back to the present.

“Yes, thank you. Madame…?” She leaves it open, no doubt this woman has a husband, probably a brood of ‘enfants’ as well. The sooner she forces herself to recognize that, the sooner she can force her mind back to reality. Or at least present day.

“Mademoiselle,” The fairhaired woman corrects gently, “Mademoiselle Cormier. Delphine.” She smiles reaching for Cosima’s bare hand with her own. Pale forearms dotted with freckles and moles.

“I’m not married either,” Cosima smiles brightly, “There are far worse things than spinsterhood for me.” She wasn’t supposed to say that either, or become too involved with anyone she might meet.

“Oui. C’est vrai.” Delphine nods laughing, seemingly charmed, “Come with me,”

Unable to think of a reason not to, Cosima follows, her mission temporarily forgotten.

**

“How old are you?” Cosima eyes her as they climb the stairs to her father’s office.

“Twenty-six.” Delphine answers without hesitation. Then again, why should she be shy with another supposed spinster? It doesn’t make any sense. Cosima smiles at the thought.

“We’re the same age.” Cosima smiles back, “I work in science.”

“Science?” Delphine’s eyes widen in wonder, “As a woman?”

“Yes… I um.. went to a women’s college to study.” Cosima invents wildly. She was not doing a convincing job at sticking to her story. Young widow visiting uncle. It was too late now, Cosima supposed.

“C’est qui?” Jean-Philippe Cormier regards them as they enter the office.

“C’est une vieille amie.” Delphine says, “D’école. Elle est venue ici pour visiter son oncle.”

“Ah, Bonjour Madame-”

“Niehaus.” Cosima says before wincing at the widened eyes, at least it wasn’t WWI, her German name should be safe, for now.

“Anglais?” Jean-Philippe regards Delphine only, who nods in response. “Hello Mrs. Niehaus, excuse us for a moment.”

“Is Mr. Leekie still here?” Delphine asks, seemingly adept at navigating this world, her small role in whatever this all is.

“Yes I am,” The older man winds the corner, “Your father and I were just settling the last few details, would you mind looking them over with me.”

“Not at all. I think Cosima will need a place to stay for the night,” Delphine informs her father, “Her uncle appears to be out of town.”

“How unfortunate.” Leekie comments, drawing her attention back to the drafts of his new building, “Now your father told me it was going to take three years to build.”

“Oui. Yes, that is correct.”

“I think I’m still unclear on the details, would you look them over with me in the office?”  
Delphine pastes a smile on her face that does not quite meet her eyes, as the balding man places a hand on her waist and guides her back into the office.

Jean-Philippe regards Cosima with a sigh, “My English is not so good. Delphine helps a lot here. Are you a housewife?”

“A widow.” Cosima returns to her story, trying desperately to remember the word in french, “Une veuve.”

“Ah, je m’excuse, Madame…” Cormier trails off on what she can only assume are condolences for the loss of her fictitious husband, “Me too, Delphine’s mother died five years ago.”

“I’m so sorry.” Cosima says unable to think of anything else to say.

“Delphine takes care of me now. House. English.” He smiles, his hair greyed but his face pleasant, briefly reminiscent of that of his daughter.

“I don’t think you should leave your daughter alone with Mr. Leekie.” Cosima volunteers unasked.

“Non, Mr. Leekie is client. For much years.” Cormier nods, knocking and opening the door to reveal Delphine pointing out lines in the contract, fixing her father’s English as she goes.

**  
She’s certain, she’s caught Cosima twice with that same odd machine while walking to their comfortable home. Whenever she turns around she’s convinced that Cosima has just hidden it again. Their home is modest, having only two servants to assist her with household duties. She doesn’t enjoy having a lot of strangers around, preferring to keep house herself, to cook herself, to be left alone with the sizeable collection of books she’s managed to acquire. To learn and study as much as she can.

Her father has gone for dinner with Mr. Leekie, leaving them to their own devices. It’s not unusual for her father to leave her to her own devices for days on end. To return home for a supper and then…? She looks over at Cosima, what does her guest need? And where is she from? Something does not add up in the usual way.

Cosima for her part, walks along the bookshelf, eyes lighting up at several of her books, gesturing excitedly at the sight of a few of them. They aren’t that different, this strange girl and herself.

“So what is with Mr. Leekie? He seems…” Cosima lets herself trail off. Maybe she’s unsure of what to say as well.

She tries to forget the way he looks at her, his words, ‘You’re not so old yet, Delphine’.  
“Nothing. He… likes me. Maybe too much.” Delphine shrugs.

“Strange. He must be twenty years older than you.”

“Yes he is. But also, non. Aldous has said things like that for years. Nothing ever comes of it” Delphine tries to draw attention away from it. Why discuss his invitations to dinner, or his suggestions that perhaps she’s resigned herself to respectable spinsterhood too soon. But he’s made no attempts to formally court her. Nothing of the sort at all.

“He’s far too old for you.” Cosima says decisively, “Spinster or not.”

She’s far less interested in that than where Cosima came from. And what she’s carrying with her. Delphine leans in curiously trying to get a better look at her bag, “What is that… machine you have?”

“What? What machine?” Cosima tries to look puzzled, but her face gives her away.

“The one in your bag that flashes. That strange pocket watch of yours.” Delphine tilts her head, “I’ve never seen anything like them.”

“What if I told you, I’m not from here?”

“I know that.”

“I’m from San Francisco, in California.” Cosima smiles.

“That is very far.” Delphine muses, nodding her head.

“I was born,” Cosima pulls to hold her hand between two of her own, “In the future. Many years in the future.”

“Quoi? Ce n’est pas possible Cosima.”

“I’m just… visiting here. I agreed to be an experiment subject. Someone else is monitoring the results.” Cosima smiles again reaching into her bag and pulling out her device, “This is a camera.”

“Non, I have seen cameras. I’ve had my picture taken. They do not look like that.” Delphine laughs slightly. Is this a joke? A silly game Cosima wants to play?

“Wanna bet?” Cosima pushes forward slightly so their faces are just inches apart, making her laugh, “Um… do you want to make a wager?”

“Can you prove it?” Delphine asks, shaking her head, “That you’re from the future?”

“We’re going to do an experiment.” Cosima informs her with a grin, “Which should prove something.”

“What is it?” Delphine smiles back, experiments remind her of science, of the books she read in school when she lived in Québec City, at the convent school of the Ursuline nuns.

“I’m going to take your picture, and show you. And you’ll see that this is really a camera.”

“Right here? But… pictures need to be developed. It takes ages.” She’s shaking her head, but she’s smiling.

“Yup,” Cosima holds the small machine up to her face and presses a button at the top, there’s another flash of light and something slides out of the bottom of the camera a moment later.

“What is this?” Delphine reaches for it, but is stopped by Cosima’s hand, taking the flat object by the white border.

“This is your photo, you just wait.”

Delphine watches closely, silently as the black square starts to lighten, slowly shapes appear, and then it begins to resemble her face.

“Cosima…” She breathes softly, the small woman, this amazing little woman, is telling the truth. She isn’t from here. Not from Montréal. Not from this time.

“Yes?”

Delphine leans forward, fixated, “Tell me about this future of yours.”

“Well for starters, women go to universities and graduate schools now. You would have been able to study whatever you wanted. I did. Oh and we can vote, you’ll be able to vote in less than twenty years here… I think.”

“Yes? What did you study?” Delphine should feel jealousy, instead she is fascinated. What could she have done if she had been permitted to continue to study?

“Biology and chemistry. I volunteered for this - this is an experimental physics project. They wanted someone who couldn’t mess with the system. And I can’t so it works.”

“Could I have studied medicine?” Delphine asks, “Or science? Any science I wanted?”

“Yup. Or anything else you wanted. And you wouldn’t be an old maid back home, and neither would I.”

“Non?”

“And you can decide not to have children. Like people love each other and get married and prevent them, they have pills and stuff that… oh nevermind that. But mostly people have like 2 kids these days. If they want to. Not like 12 or whatever just happens.”

“They can choose?” Delphine blinks disbelief. It was an inevitability of lovemaking here… She thinks of her school friends, many having a child each year. Wouldn’t they love to be able to slow things down? Space out the children? Or… not have any at all?

“Yeah.” Cosima nods, “Of course they can. Well, it’s a bit more complicated, but yes. That’s the short answer.”

“You chose not to?” Delphine looks at Cosima again, she’s beautiful, kind, charming, intelligent. Why is Cosima unmarried? Why…?

“Well, not yet anyways.” Cosima smiles, “But I could later if I wanted to, I guess.”

“And if I went there with you. I could choose? And choose to study? And I wouldn’t have to be a nun?”

“Back home you wouldn’t even be a spinster. No one uses that word. Plenty of women marry later or never marry and it’s fine. Like, well some people care. But there are always going to be backwards people who don’t get it, right?”

 

Her mind spins, “And people travel through time?”

“No no… this is an experiment. Only 4 of us have ever done that. That I know of.”

 

“If I wanted to keep studying here, je dois devenir religieuse, I’d have to be a nun.” Delphine says aloud, “I was going to be, my father forbade it. I suppose I will later, when he dies.”

“Why?” Cosima shakes her head, “No.. don’t become a nun. That cuts you off from everything… and you’d be like… no.”

“I have a dowry, but… my brothers will inherit the business. It is not their job to support me. La vieille fille.”

“Old maid?” Cosima shakes her head, “You’re not that old yet. If you want to stay here you could still get hitched and pop out ten kids. Or …get a job or study something or… Women are going to college, Delphine, right now in the world, in your time. Not many of them, but they are.”

“In 1910? Non, ma chérie, I don’t think so, not here, not in Québec. Maybe in your world.”

“In any world, Delphine things are changing, in another ten years…” Cosima cuts herself off, “I probably shouldn’t tell you this.”

“In ten years, I will be thirty-six years of age. I will be an old maid or a nun in a convent.”

“Your brothers can’t…?” Cosima stammers, “Can’t they let you stay?”

“My brothers have their own lives. Wives. Children. This business.”

“That’s not fair.”

“No, it’s fine. In a convent I can study, I can learn, I can teach…” Delphine reaches out to squeeze Cosima’s hand, to comfort her. Why cannot Cosima understand that there’s a freedom to it? That while she’ll lose her name, vow poverty and chastity, she’ll have freedoms to study, freedoms from marriage or an unending number of children, freedoms to carve out her own life within a convent’s walls.

“Yeah… as a nun.” Cosima raises her eyebrow unable to hide her disgust.

“What is wrong with being a nun?”

“Nothing… I’m sorry… just. It’s not fair. Delphine, right now, there’s a Women’s Medical College in Toronto. Why don’t you go?” Cosima looks at her with a smile.

“Non, my father will not allow that.” Delphine shakes her head, “He won’t even allow me to return to the Ursulines.”

“Nuns?”

“Yes. Nuns.” Delphine nods affirmatively, “I went to school there, boarding school. The same school my mother went to before she married my father. They teach young girls and women.”

“Okay.” Cosima nods, “Let’s go do something?”

“Like what?” Delphine laughs, looking around.

“Anything. Show me the best of Montreal 1910.”

“Let’s go to the cinema.” Delphine grins, “Come on.” It’s nice, she finds herself thinking as she takes Cosima by the hand and leads her back out of the house into the street, to have a friend again. It’s been so long. Her friends now have husbands and an ever increasing number of children. Their letters come so rarely these days.

**

Later, as they giggle their way home on a streetcar, it hits Cosima. It wasn’t just that the movie was silent. She had read up on enough history to know that that would be the case.

Delphine couldn’t even vote, and yet this was her life. The life she’d been born into. Cosima didn’t doubt that the blonde was as intelligent as herself, maybe even more capable of pursuing further education.

“Delphine…?” Cosima is unable to deny her fascination, her draw to to Delphine, the near-instant affection she has for her. It hasn’t even been a day.

“Oui?” Delphine answers tiredly, “What is it Cosima?”

“Are you happy here, with your life?”

“What sort of question is that?” Delphine asks, as Cosima turns around to take another photograph with the polaroid, handing the photo to Delphine to allow her to watch it develop.

“An important one.” Cosima assures her.

“I wish we had more time. I enjoy spending time with you Cosima, it’s the most enjoyable time I’ve spent since I was in school.” Delphine smiles at her.

“Feel like a young girl again?”

“Oui, je suis encore jeune fille.” Delphine smiles back dopily, pulling her hand into her lap, squeezing it.

Cosima’s heart jumps, does she know what she’s doing? Is that why Delphine is a spinster?

“What’s that?” Delphine pulls back her sleeve with her finger to reveal her nautilus tattoo.

“It’s a tattoo. It’s been inked on with needles.” Cosima explains simply, raising her other sleeve to display the dandelion on the opposite wrist.

“Is it permanent? Did it hurt?” Delphine traces the lines absentmindedly with her fingers not realizing the delicate torture she is carrying out.

“Yes. And yes.” Cosima nods, “I have another one on my other arm.”

“That’s why you covered your arms… Why are you still wearing a hat? You took it off in the theatre and then put it right back on after…” A strong hand reaches for the brim.

She stops her, “Not here, Delphine. I’ll show you back at your house.”

**

“This is hair?” Delphine looks incredulous to see the dreadlocks down. She’s tentative, afraid to touch them, Cosima realizes with another small laugh.

“It’s a style. I was almost disqualified from this project because of it, but my friend Scott showed them how we could disguise it. Wigs. Hats… it works as long as people don’t get too close.” Cosima smiles again.

A guest room has been made up, they have few servants - mostly for cleaning, Delphine would have done it herself, like she had at school, but it seems someone had gotten there first.

“Why did you do that?”

“I just wanted to. I thought it would look cool?”

“Cool?”

“Slang that will not be used for a few more decades, it means good. Desirable.” Cosima tries a more acceptable word. Period appropriate? How much did Delphine understand? How much could she understand? Could she tell how she felt?

“Ah…” Delphine nods.

“What else do you want to know about the future?” Cosima tries to distract herself, especially from this. From how easy it was to fall for Delphine.

“What is your life like? Tell me all about your world.” Delphine demands sitting down next to her with a smile.

One question remains in the back of her mind, how much trouble would she be in if she brought Delphine back with her?

**

It had been late when she had finally, reluctantly left Cosima to go to bed, praying that whatever had brought Cosima into her life would not let her leave so easily. There was so much more she wanted to show her. So much she wanted to do and say. At the very least, that she would wake before Cosima would be pulled from her life. From this time entirely. She’d only wrapped a dressing gown around herself before hurrying across the hall.

“Cosima.” She knocks gently on the door, “Cosima?” The sun was up, surely, it wasn’t too late. Please not too late.

She lets the door swing open cautiously, to reveal Cosima, now in the process of buttoning her boots.

“Hey Delphine.” Cosima grins, patting the bed beside her, as fully dressed as she’d been the last time she saw her.

“I was afraid you’d be gone already.” Delphine admits shyly. Why was she so attached? Why did she care this much? Did it matter? Cosima was a gift. Un ange qui tombe du ciel. Why should she question this miracle, whether it came from God or science?

Cosima smiles shaking her head, “No, not until seven. We don’t have long though.”

“I… I don’t want you to go.” Delphine says, “There’s so much more to show you. We could take a ride out and you could see how people live in the country. So much of Québec is rural… and so beautiful. Or go to Québec-”

“We are in Quebec.”

“The city.” Delphine clarifies, “I could show you there, it’s the oldest city in North America. It’s beautiful…”

“Maybe someday. If I get to come back.” Cosima smiles sadly, “Here.”

Cosima guides her hands over the camera, pointing it towards herself.

“What…?”

“You’re going to take a picture of me,” Cosima informs her, “Look through here, frame my face in that box and press the button.”

“I can’t… I don’t know how.” Delphine looks through, seeing Cosima’s face, it’s all so strange. Part of her wants to take this device apart, learn how it works… though then she’d ruin it.

“You can, and do it quickly.” Cosima reminds her, “We’re on a severe time limit.”

Delphine adjusts twice before pressing the button, the last of the photographs coming out of the camera.

“Here.” Cosima hands it to her, “This one is for you.” She packs away the device and pulls out the pocket watch again, opening the face.

“How long?”

“Just a couple minutes now.” Cosima smiles sadly, but even Delphine can tell that she is trying not to cry.

“Take me with you.” Delphine suggests finally. To a world where she can study science, and keep her own name and decide if and how many children to have. It all sounds wonderful, and Cosima would be there with her, studying science and teaching her to live there.

Cosima shakes her head, “I can’t… I don’t know what you’re going to do with your life. It might be something really important… I just can’t… I’m sorry Delphine.”

“But can’t you find out?” Delphine asks, “Don’t you have all the records? I thought you said you could access all the information in the world in minutes?”

“I did, and I can.” Cosima shakes her head, “But I can’t read French and what am I supposed to do? Comb through decades of census data?”

 

“How much longer do you have?”

“A few more minutes,” Cosima checks her watch, “I can’t reset or I’ll risk losing the coordinates. I have to jump back.” She sobs out the last words.

She leans forward, to try to comfort the girl somehow, “Can’t you come back?”

“I’ll try, Delphine.” Cosima promises, “I’ll try, but there’s something you don’t know about me yet.”

 

“What? What is it?” Delphine asks, but she never receives an answers, instead she watches Cosima shake, a strange light falling over her, before she disappears in front of her, leaving her with nothing but the strange photograph in her hand.

Slowly she watches Cosima’s face appear, tears stinging her eyes as she misses her new friend more desperately than she had imagined.


	2. Chapter 2

“Delphine.” A voice calls from outside, then again louder with a metallic tap on her window, “Delphine!”

“Cosima!” She jumps from her bed and rushes to the open window, “Cosima, it’s been three months!”

It looks colder outside in October, snow has already begun to fall. Far too cold for what Cosima has chosen to wear. Her heart leaps, she’s missed Cosima terribly, half-convincing herself it had all been a strange dream.

“Yeah I’m sorry, it’s glitchy… I tried to set it so I’d show up a few days after I left.” Cosima shrugs, “I’m way off.. it must be… November now? The timer is set for three days this time.”

“October.” Delphine corrects her before becoming overrun with concern, “Tu as froid? You must be freezing!” Delphine runs down the stairs, not caring if she wakes her father or a servant with her thumping. She opens the front door, quickly ushering Cosima into the warmth. It doesn’t dawn on her until she opens the door that she is wearing nothing but her nightgown, instantly her body reacts to the cold, and she closes the door quickly behind Cosima. Why hadn’t she thought to grab her housecoat?

“Fuck it’s cold.” Cosima grins sheepishly at her shock at the coarse language. Her blouse and skirt are wet with snow, and she can tell Cosima is shivering despite her bravado.

“Viens,” Delphine tugs Cosima up the stairs and into her room, a warm fire already down to smouldering embers, but it’s warmer here, and her bed is warm. Cosima must be terrible at setting the device, to arrive in front of her house in the middle of the night. No one is up at this hour.

“What...what are you doing?” Cosima looks at her in surprise as Delphine’s fingers easily work buttons.

“I’m undressing you down to your… petticoats?” Delphine puzzles for a moment trying to remember the English word. Her nightgown is sheer, but the sooner she undresses Cosima and hangs her things to dry by the fire, the sooner she can feel warm again herself.

Cosima shudders under her fingers, more as she releases her skirt, allowing the garment to drop to the floor. A light slip covers most of Cosima’s body, there’s a corset-cover, but no corset, just bloomers and a shorter slip underneath. She guides Cosima back onto her bed, removing her silk stockings, silly girl should have been wearing wool. Though, Cosima had said she had not meant to arrive in October.

She hadn’t noticed before, but she notices now, that Cosima’s legs are smooth and hairless below her knees, that she’s lacking hair under her arms as well.

“Why don’t you have hair?” Delphine asks, curiously touching one of Cosima’s legs.

“I shaved it off.” Cosima shakes her head, “Not important… kind of a cultural thing that’s coming.”

“I better hang these to dry,” Delphine touches the damp stockings shaking her head at this silly girl who has completely captivated her.

“You don’t have to do that.” Cosima suggests, as Delphine takes it upon herself to unbutton her shoes, before urging Cosima back and tucking her into her own warm bed.

“Come here,” Delphine offers, pulling Cosima into her arms, rubbing at bare skin, trying to warm the timetraveler more quickly, but Cosima only shakes harder in her arms, “What is it?”

“You’re so warm.” Cosima mutters weakly, looking at her in that same intense way she always had.

“You’ll be warm again too. Tu vas bien.” Delphine reaches out a tentative hand to stroke Cosima’s strange hair, more obvious now than it has ever been before. To her surprise the dreadlocks are rougher, more textured than she’d imagined.

“Did you find out what happens to me?” Delphine asks, trying to seem casual and unaffected. Would Cosima leave her here again?

“I’ve spent days looking through census records to make sure that you don’t have a famous or important descendent.” Cosima admits.

“And?” Delphine asks the question, leaving it open. Would Cosima bring her back if it meant that people would no longer exist? Would it change history too much? But surely she was just one woman, just one woman couldn’t make that huge of a difference.

Cosima shakes her head, “No descendents. When your father dies, you join a convent and live out the rest of your life there quietly. Your family business is taken over by your brothers but … does not survive the 1930s.”

“The 1930s… I’ll be in my forties by then.” Delphine muses, experimenting with the soft feel of Cosima’s bare skin under her fingers. So soft, she lets her fingers dance across her arm, Cosima’s neck. This fixation of hers has only grown stronger it seems, she wonders absently if it’s mutual.

“Yes.” Cosima lets her eyes close lazily, “Do you still want to come back with me?”

“Yes.” Delphine answers without hesitation, giving Cosima a quick kiss on the cheek to emphasize her enthusiasm.

Cosima only sighs sadly, “Delphine… do you know what an invert is? Sexual inversion?”

“Non.” She shakes her head, furrowing her brow at Cosima, she had never heard that term before.

“What about homosexuality?” Cosima tries again more hopefully, “Sodomy?”

“Les sodomites?” Delphine grapples with the term and why Cosima is bringing it up, “Why are we talking about sodomites?” She’d overheard talk of it before, but what does that have to do with anything? Men being charged with gross indecency turn up occasionally in the papers, but why is Cosima interested in speaking of that?

“Not exactly sodomy,” Cosima shifts uncomfortably in her arms, “I’m just trying to put this a way you can understand.”

“Then what?” Delphine asks stroking Cosima’s cheek gently, “I will understand, just tell me.”

Cosima lets out a long breath before moving forward, pressing their lips softly together. She stares at Cosima, not responding, not closing her eyes. The soft warmth of Cosima’s mouth against her lips, the unexpected sweetness of her breath, the gentleness of her kiss lulling her into a strange haze. The brunette backs up nervously, tucking a stray curl behind her ear.

“I want to do that.” Cosima finishes lamely, “I want you the way that-”

“Tu m’aimes.” Delphine interrupts realizing it as she says it, leaning in, closing her eyes for another sweet kiss, this one longer as Cosima pulls her in more closely, tighter against her own rapidly warming skin. Love, love she understands. It surprises her, how much she craves this, desires Cosima closer, even as warm lips are exploring her neck, as hands grip at her nightgown, tugging it up to expose her legs.

“Yes. I do love you.” Cosima murmurs, kissing near her cheek, “I fall in love with women, that’s what I was trying to say.”

Her brow furrows until Cosima’s lips chase the line away before teasing at her own again, a warm tongue flicking at her lips until they open, allowing Cosima’s hot tongue to briefly caress her own before retreating. She moans loudly, not expecting her own reaction. Is this what she has been missing out on? Why her school friends have had so many babies? Silly, she tells herself, it’s not like Cosima can-

“Can I touch you?” Cosima asks, pulling back for a moment.

“You are touching me.” Delphine laughs slightly, it’s true. Cosima’s hands are on her cheek and thigh, or her arms have been around her clinging to her tightly. She feels warm, too warm now. “J’ai chaud.” She apologizes breaking away slightly, there’s an unfamiliar low heat settled in her body and a flush in her skin.

“Yeah...me too.” Cosima smiles, reaching for the hem of her nightgown, “Yes?”

She nods and permits Cosima to remove the thin garment, leaving her entirely bare.

“Oh you’re beautiful.” Cosima smiles, pulling her back in, her own hands remove the last few of Cosima’s garments, following an instinct she doesn’t quite yet understand. To have Cosima closer, to feel more of her.

Cosima groans and permits her to remove garments, to let her hands glide up her bare back, down her shoulders. “Do you like it?” Cosima asks hopefully, “As much as with a man? Past lovers?”

“I haven’t had lovers.” Delphine admits, confused by Cosima’s assumption, “An illegitimate child would ruin me. My family too.” She looks down at Cosima’s toned body, her soft olive skin and rosy nipples, the gentle curves of the brunette’s body under her own intrepid hands. Why isn’t she scared, Delphine wonders briefly. How is this so easy?

“Shit… really?” Cosima looks her over, stroking back her now sweaty hair, “Right.. right… okay. Okay.” Cosima reassures, “I’ll take care of you.”

“Have you had lovers?” Delphine tries not to gasp at the feeling of Cosima’s skin against her own.

“Yes.” Cosima mumbles, kissing at her shoulder, working her way down her collarbone.

“Men and women?”

“Yes.” Cosima admits in a low breath.

“Ohh.” She’s distracted by Cosima’s hands slowly moving up her body, as her head ducks down to lick at her breast, to suck at it. The sensation is strange, but not painful, instead she notes the sensitivity of her nipples, and Cosima’s apparent enthrallment with them.

Does everyone in the future do this all the time? Is this sin there too? Do they all make love with whomever comes along?

“Do you want to touch me?” Cosima invites, guiding her own hands onto the more erogenous zones of her body.

“Oui.” She answers, following her body’s new desire to touch as much of the soft skin as was presented to her. Thighs, and hips and buttocks. Listening to the sweet little sounds Cosima made when she did.

She tugs Cosima’s mouth back to her own, kissing her firmly, insistently, needing more...so much more. She can feel a new tension in her body, everything seems to be converging on her sex. Dripping and aching. She’d felt arousal before, but this… this was...too much.

“I’m aching.” She finally says, clinging tightly to Cosima, “Is this what…?”

“Yes. It’s perfect.” Cosima reassures her between kisses, “So perfect. Exactly what is supposed to happen.”

Cosima’s hand presses between her legs, an approving moan in her ear. Shouldn’t she be the one moaning, Delphine wonders? Instead Cosima moans again, capturing her lips for another kiss.

This doesn’t feel like sin, this doesn’t feel wrong or indecent, Delphine thinks as Cosima’s fingers gently press against her, yielding unprecedented pleasure.

“Je t’aime.” Delphine breathes, her voice little more than a whine, as Cosima’s fingers stroke, gathering wetness on them, sweetly pressing against her.

Cosima groans at her, “Do you like it?”

“Oui.” She lets her eyes close, hips twitching, following the movements of Cosima’s hand. This is easy, she doesn’t even have to think about it. She still aches inside, but this … this.

“How do you feel?” Cosima breathes as she kisses along Delphine’s jaw.

“Ahh.” Her eyes shut, hips jerking upwards in search of...something. The pressure is building between her legs, her body tensing, arms clinging around Cosima.

Everything is tight, tightening, building, and it’s bliss, waves of gentle pleasure, sex throbbing in response.

“Ohh.” She breathes afterwards, pulling Cosima in for another kiss, “Oh….”

Cosima grins, seeming terribly pleased with herself, “Yeah.”

She barely has time to catch her breath before Cosima pushes a finger inside her easily, smiling up at her.

“There’s more?” Delphine relaxes into the invasion, fascinated by it all. What other pleasures could their bodies yield together? Would their passion consume them entirely? She’d be very reluctant to stop doing this.

Cosima smothers a laugh looking down at her, “So much more,” she promises with a kiss to her cheek.

**

She’s corrupted her, Cosima thinks with a smile as Delphine reaches curiously between her legs, gliding her fingers through copious arousal. Two orgasms and the girl still looks at her like she invented something.

“Is it always like that?” Delphine permits her fingers to probe curiously.

“Well.. it can be. There are other things to do,” Cosima lets herself trail off unsure of whether Delphine is talking about sex with women or orgasms. She thinks of all the things she wants to do to Delphine, with Delphine.

“Would you stay here with me, if I asked?” Delphine mumbles gently into her skin as she slides two fingers into her.

“Yes.” Cosima answers without hesitation. It’s not what she wants though, she wants to return to her own time where they will be safer.

“Je t’aime.” Delphine promises, thrusting gently with her fingers. She’s certainly a quick learner, Cosima remarks inwardly, moving one of her own hands to guide Delphine’s.

“Like this…” Fuck me like this, she wants to demand, but she holds back the vulgarity, for now. “Touch me like this,” Cosima encourages instead.

She leads Delphine gently, encouraging her with sweet words and soft moans, until she climaxes with a shudder and a low groan, inner muscles contracting on Delphine’s sweetly probing fingers.

“Ohh.” Delphine sighs again with a moan, instantly propping herself up above Cosima to kiss her lips desperately.

Holy shit, Cosima thinks, as Delphine plunders her mouth, sucking at her bottom lip, playing with it perfectly. They settle together, Delphine holding her tightly in her arms, wrapped in Delphine’s beautiful bed. And for a few moments it’s easy to forget. Who Delphine is. What time she grew up in. Anything outside of this little world they’ve suddenly created in the shadowy light before morning.

“I’m so happy here with you.” Cosima sighs happily, after moments of silence, “Are you okay? What are you thinking?”

“I suppose I’m a ruined woman now,” Delphine says breezily, almost too casually.

“Not where I’m from, assuming you still want to come with me.” Cosima contents herself with playing with a curl, admiring the effects their passion has had on Delphine’s body, and her words.

“I will go back with you. I’m just nervous about leaving Papa.” Delphine sighs, “And what kind of life could we have together. Two women.”

“Why’s that? Your brothers are around. Your father isn’t going to last that much longer Delphine…” Cosima tells her apologetically.

“Is this normal in your time?” Delphine asks, suddenly emotional, “Or… will we be arrested for gross indecency? Is this… this is sodomy, isn’t it?”

Cosima bites her tongue, “We’ll be safe. I promise. And yes, this is homosexual behaviour. Some people would call it sodomy, others only use that word for two men.”

“It’s sin then.” Delphine sighs closing her eyes, “It doesn’t feel like sin. It feels so perfect. Why would you be brought to me if we weren’t supposed to love? What will happen to us in your world? Will we be safe together?”

“Oh Delphine, we’ll be safe most places in my time, lots of places anyways.” Cosima cups her face in her hands, “We could even get married if we want to, in some countries anyway.”

“Here? In Québec?” Delphine’s eyes widen instantly in shock.

“Yes, here too.” Cosima promises with a sweet kiss, trying to infuse it with her love, her longing, all the reassurance she can muster.

“And my papa?”

“I want to tell you that we can visit, maybe… But I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to come back. Once I bring you back, they’ll throw me off the project. I’ll never be allowed to time travel again. I’m not even supposed to be time-travelling now...”

“You’d do that to be with me?” Delphine smiles, playing with a dread, pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth.

“I’d do anything to be with you.” Cosima smiles, “Anything.”

“Mon amour,” Delphine smiles pulling her closer, “What shall we do with our three days?”

“Break the news to your father you’re moving to California to be with me. Or wherever you want. We’ll tell him something nice. His spinster daughter found a ‘companion’ or whatever you want to call it. We won’t just leave.” Cosima assures her, “We’ll do this right.”

“Will we make love all the time?” Delphine giggles, seemingly delighted again.

“As much as we want. And study. And travel… anything you want.”

“T’es un ange qui tombe du ciel.” Delphine sighs, kissing her again.

“No… no I’m not.” Cosima giggles, wondering if she’ll ever cure Delphine of religion - or if she even needs to. Does it matter what brought them together? Maybe the universe knows better, maybe there’s far more to it than that.


	3. Chapter 3

“Delphine…” Cosima tried to coax her new lover out from under the table in the lab, “It’s okay, Delphine, it’s just the fire alarm.”

“It’s so loud…” Delphine whines, hands still clamped over her ears. She’s still dressed in her circa 1910 garments as she crouches under the closest table. 

“We have to get out of here,” Cosima instructs clearly. Immediately after the jump Delphine had been overwhelmed by the lab, then of course, the fire alarm goes off. She cannot tell whether it’s this building or the one next door, but it doesn’t matter. It’s a perfect distraction really, should give her enough time to get Delphine into the more modern clothes she’s brought along with her own and sneak her back to her apartment. 

If Delphine would only listen. 

“It hurts my ears.” Delphine slowly slides out from under the table, rising to her feet, still wincing at the fire alarm.

“Okay, good, let’s get you changed,” She tries to lead Delphine towards the change room, where her own garments are. The control booth was being manned by Scott, who probably exited the building as the fire alarm sounded. Maybe it was in this building after all. She listens to the repeating buzzer followed by sharp high pitched beeps. 

She hadn’t been too ambitious when picking clothes for Delphine, and had chosen a simple dress, for now, Delphine could keep her own undergarments on. As for shoes, she’d purchased a cheap pair of flipflops. 

“Are you going to go outside like that?” Delphine gawks at her as she undresses and quickly tugs on her own dress, slipping into her sandals.

“Well… yeah. It’s normal in 2015, it’s fine Delphine… come on put this dress on.”

The blonde cringes at her, mortified, “C’est comme les sous-vêtements!” 

“You can pick your own clothes when we get back to my apartment, okay? But right now I really need you to get dressed enough to blend in and get out of here. Throw your 1910 clothing in this bag.” She produces a laundry bag with a large hockey logo on it, sufficient to hide the period clothing until they’ve reached some safety. 

“Will they know I’m here?” Delphine gestures around, as she cautiously strips off layers of her clothing.

“Eventually, yeah. The logs will show one person went to 1910 and two came back, so hurry. Please hurry.” She begs quietly, already changed, she turns to help Delphine. 

In the end, she gets her dressed, but Delphine crosses her arms in front of her chest self-consciously. Even as she leads her down the back stairs, the loud ringing of the fire alarm continues, and she’s forced to pull a crying Delphine along behind her. At least the blonde is in good enough shape to run down the stairs with her.

The noise quiets as soon as they’re out a fire escape door, clambering the metal stairs to the ground. She takes a deep breath and turns to look at Delphine. Maybe this was a mistake, Cosima realizes, as she takes in the red rimmed eyes, the tears still flowing down her lover’s cheeks, the uncomfortable way she stands in modern garments. 

“Hey…” Cosima offers, pulling Delphine into her arms, kissing her cheek.

“The future is too loud.”

“It’s a fire alarm. It’s meant to get people out of the building in case of fire. I think they scheduled a test of the system today.” 

A few people lurk around, but it seems most of the students and staffs had taken this as the perfect opportunity for a coffee break. 

Even she’s scared now. How is she supposed to get Delphine home when she cannot tolerate this level of sound? Taking the metro is out of the question, there’s absolutely no way she can get Delphine home on the subway.

A cab? Maybe, Cosima considers her options. It’s a little far to walk, and with construction and cars… 

“Fuck…”

 

“Pardon?” Delphine regards her with wide eyes.

“Umm just cursing. Don’t like repeat that.” Cosima tells her, at least not yet, she adds to herself. 

“I think I’m okay now.” Delphine nods, looking around, trying to take in the world. As loud and crazy as it has become. 

“Okay… I think we’re going to have to call a cab.”

Delphine’s brow furrows, she’s irresistable again, “Taxicabs? Why not take the streetcars?”

“Umm they don’t have them anymore. Oil and gas companies paid off the city to switch to buses. Less environmentally friendly… it’s stupid really. But sorry.” Cosima grimaces, “No more streetcars.”

Of course, even if Montreal still had its streetcars, they’d still be too loud for Delphine to handle with all the traffic and the craziness…

In the end, a quick phone call later and Scott is pulling up in his mom’s van, “I did enough Cosima… Why do I have to help you sneak her back to your place?”

“Because she cannot handle noise well, and I think you’re easier to convince to take the least busy route to my apartment.”

Delphine clings to her the entire ride, burying her face in her shoulder, tensing at car horns and sirens.

When she finally gets her into the elevator and up to her apartment, they’re both exhausted. 

“Is this where you live?” Delphine’s curiosity seems to get the best of her now, though loud noises seem to startle her. At least her apartment is relatively quiet, most of the time. 

“Yeah. This is home.” Cosima grins and points, “Bathroom, bedroom-living room-kitchen area.” She gestures around the studio apartment, it’s been enough for her for the past year. 

“It’s so small.” Delphine comments.

“Yeah. You know, life on a budget. Plus… what would I do with all that space?” Cosima laughs.

“What now?” Delphine asks.

There’s so much to do. So much to show her and teach her, and learn with her… but one idea seems high on the priority list.

“Shower.” Cosima nods definitively, “We’re going to shower.” She’d fantasized about this, about what would come after this. 

Delphine strips readily in front of her now, she’d been an addict for her touch since their first night together. 

She turns on and tests the water, before pushing Delphine under the spray, to her surprise she immediately sees her relax, enjoying it. 

“I’m going to wash you.” Cosima warns, following her in. That’s enough for now. She lathers up her hands with a gentle, scentless castille soap, purchased especially for the process of washing Delphine. It was not the time to discover some weird allergy or sensitivity. And she cleans her, starting with her hair, working down her body, under her arms, lathering the curls between her legs, finally kneeling to finish soaping Delphine down to her feet. 

“I like this.” Delphine groans, smiling as she steps under the spray, enjoying Cosima’s gentle hands running through her hair, rinsing her off. 

“Good… because in 2015 we bathe every day. Not necessarily washing your hair every day, but like washing your body off.” Cosima assures her as she soaps up herself, Delphine’s hands going instinctually to help her. 

“Mmm…” Delphine hums, capturing her lips, and she forgets again. Where Delphine is from. How she got here. It feels so normal, Delphine kissing her, Delphine as her lover. This has to be the right decision, Cosima tells herself. It has to.

She reaches to turn off the shower, best to keep sex simple for now. Though Cosima admits to herself with a smile, she’s developed much more ambitious fantasies involving Delphine that will have to wait.

“Bed?” Cosima suggests, tossing Delphine a towel and towelling off, watching the blonde copy her movements. 

Delphine smiles dopily, “Oui.” 

She guides Delphine over to her bed, laying her down, moving to hover over top of her. This part has been so easy. Delphine had proven herself an affectionate and enthusiastic partner.   
She hadn’t told anyone but Scott her plan, and he had told her it was insane. Maybe it was.

“T’es mon amour. Ma mariée…” Delphine croons up at her, kissing her face, over and over again.

Cosima giggles in response, “I’m your what?” But she’s soon distracted by a delicate hand cupping her sex, fingers teasing at her.

“My love….” Delphine translates as she softly toys with her.

She hums her contentment, and smiles down at her new lover as she pushes her fingers inside. The learning curve was fast with Delphine. And she got to watch it all, the awe, the excitement, the arousal. 

“Oh yes…” She rolls her own hips, riding Delphine’s hand. 

“Tu aimes ça?” Delphine smiles up at her as she eases her fingers inside her slowly, pulling back before filling her again.

“Yes!” She answers, perhaps a little too desperately. Her French wasn’t completely awful, but it wasn’t great. 

It’s too easy to forget like this. Who Delphine is. Where she came from. All the shit they’re eventually going to have to deal with.

Fingers curl inside her, moving faster, more firmly as she moans loudly into the cluttered spaced of her apartment. Delphine’s reaction arouses her more than anything, her lover’s excitement growing as she rapidly approaches climax. Unable to resist, she grabs at the blonde hard enough to bruise as she tenses up, letting go. 

When she comes back to herself, she’s crashed on top of a very affectionate Delphine, laughing. 

“Oh yes…” She murmurs capturing Delphine’s lips in a languid kiss. There’s no need to be quiet now. No need to try to be discreet, as she’d had to be for the three days back in 1910.

Not until strong hands are kneading at the flesh of her ass does she make an effort to back up. If it’s time to push Delphine further, better now, Cosima reasons. It’s not like she’s going to whip out a strap-on and insist on fucking Delphine with it here and now. It’s just cunnilingus, a good next step.

Kissing Delphine’s breasts makes her giggle and squirm and beg in words she’s not entirely sure of. Working her way down is smooth until she approaches Delphine’s navel, shifting back, ready to drop her knees onto the floor to create more room.

“Quoi… What?” Delphine’s hands grip her shoulders when her chin hits curls, the smell of Delphine’s excitement is dizzying. Cosima’s head spins pleasantly as she plots her next course of action.

“Shh… just like…” Cosima struggles to find the right words, “Just give yourself to me. Okay?”

“What… oh…” Delphine’s hands find purchase on her dreads as she works her way back down the blonde’s body.

“You’re so beautiful. You smell so good…” Cosima encourages, hands holding the blonde’s thighs apart. She kisses gently down from each knee, teasing as much as she dares, limbs shaking as she goes.

She’s flicking her tongue softly against Delphine’s sex, parting her and teasing her with just the tip of her tongue. Cosima lets herself groan at the taste, it was even better than she had expected. 

“Mon dieu…” Delphine breathes looking down at her, “Tu veux le faire avec ta langue... “

She wants to giggle at the reaction, instead she hums low into Delphine’s sex. “Mmmhmmm.”  
Cosima works her until she’s shaking, hands keeping her thighs firmly pried apart, the loud whimpering cries egging her on, until keening, Delphine comes. It’s probably only a matter of minutes, it will never be enough.

“Mon dieu….” Delphine breathes heavily, struggling to catch her breath as Cosima kisses up her spent form.

“Mmmhmmm.” She hums in response, total satisfaction. 

Delphine looks at her in disbelief. “Why?”

She shrugs, wiping off her mouth with her hand, “I wanted to.”

A siren from outside has Delphine screeching for a far less pleasant reason, jumping out of bed to soothe her is the only reaction that comes to mind. 

What has she done?


	4. Chapter 4

Cosima squirms out of her arms in the morning. Delphine finds herself reluctant to release her, their bodies still entangled in sleep. She tries to hold on, to kiss and pull Cosima back into her arms, perhaps to stir up emotions and recommence lovemaking. But Cosima shakes her head, brushing off her hands and lips impatiently. She pouts as she watches her beloved pull away.

“Yeah.. umm I have a class to TA, like in ten minutes. Shit… So I’m going to run.” Cosima tells her as she shuffles about her apartment, haphazardly grabbing items of clothing, throwing a dress over her head and pulling her dreadlocks back into a ponytail.

“What?”

 

“I’ll be back for lunch. A late lunch.” Cosima promises, gesturing at her once again, “so umm, stay in the apartment and try not to like burn the place down or whatever.”

“Burn the place down?!” Delphine sits up suddenly, clutching the sheets to her chest.

“The stove is electric, you can just like turn the knobs to the little numbers to set them, but if you use it,” Cosima warns very seriously, “make sure you turn it off again. Actually, just like, have cereal. The white appliance is a fridge, there’s some stuff in there and the cupboards”

“Okay.” She nods, but the rest of Cosima’s safety rant is lost on her as she’s quickly kissed before Cosima grabs a pair of shoes from near the doorway and dodges outside.

She hears her steps echo down the hallway for a few moments, and then Cosima is gone.

“Cereal.” Delphine repeats. She looks around the small apartment, at the odd clear window to the balcony. Or is it a door, she inspects it more closely, once she’s thrown a robe of Cosima’s around herself.

She manages to find a box of cereal, several are colourful and when she tastes them she spits them out near instantly, reeling from the overwhelming taste of sugar and something sickly sweet she cannot easily identify. This, whatever it is, is not food. Eventually a box of granola is found, and while it too has an unusual taste, it is much more palatable than the others.

The milk is another matter. There’s an ‘almond milk’ in the fridge, and unable to find anything else, except for a large number of take-out containers and mostly unrecognizable products. She opts to use it, and is very pleased with the result. A reasonably palatable breakfast. She grabs an apple from the crisper drawer and wipes it off on the robe before biting into it. At least this is familiar.

Cosima hadn’t bothered to eat at all. Delphine notes to herself, taking the time now to explore this tiny space. The kitchen is really just a stove, fridge, sink and counter in a small recessed area of the large room. There are two closets, one larger containing clothes and storage. The other one smaller, linens, towels and to her surprise, canned goods.

The bathroom is much as it was last night, its indoor plumbing and hot running water, though she notes that it is not as clean as it should be. The fridge Cosima spoke of seems to be for keeping food cold. And she ensures she returns everything to exactly where she found it.

She splashes water on her face, and finding that she smells distinctly of sex, washes herself quickly with the damp facecloth she found. No reason to waste water, Delphine thinks to herself, as she fills the sink to sponge herself down.

There are a few items of clothing pushed to the side in the closet, a small yellow piece of paper stuck above them, with one word. Delphine. She tries to wear some of the garments, but ends up simply throwing one of the dresses over her head. It’s too revealing, but she cannot bring herself to wear pants. Or even the small package of what she assumes is underwear, with a matching post-it. It’s all too alien, and so small. It would barely cover anything.

Occasionally there are loud noises, the neighbours next door, or above. Traffic and honking horns, and boisterous talking. So many voices. It’s French. Most of it, she decides after managing to open that odd glass door to the balcony. She crouches there looking down. But it’s somehow unfamiliar, words jilted and left unfinished. Others that seem unfamiliar or shocking.

She finds herself so lost in observation of the deafening, but fascinating world beneath that she does not notice the door open.

She immediately leaps to her feet, clambering back into the apartment and sliding the door shut behind her. Only to find the boy from yesterday, waving at her and holding out an oddly stretching white bag with something in it, as if he expects her to be excited by this.

“Hi.”

Her smile fades instantly. “Where is Cosima?”

 

“Right… Cosima. I’m Scott, remember me, Delphine? Cosima asked me to bring you lunch and make sure that you hadn’t gotten yourself into any trouble.” Scott looks awkward, is it because she is underdressed? That the apartment is a mess? Or is he, as she briefly thought yesterday, a little scared of Cosima?

 

“I haven’t…”

“It’s really warm in here. What… how long was the sliding door open for?”

“Sliding door? Is that what it is called?”

 

“Yeah… I take it for a while. Great, well if you want… I’ll just give you your food and leave.” Scott looks around awkwardly for a moment, gazing at Delphine, around the apartment and at the rumpled sheets on the bed.

“No… I need to know, am I underdressed?”

Scott observes the dress, it’s black in colour, but it is short. “No, for summer that’s fine… I mean, I see girls wearing less things outside all the time… you’re from 1910 though… what else has Cosima got for you?”

“Not much.” Delphine points at the closet. “She said we’d get more together.”

“Yeah… And while you’re doing that Cosima has another friend working on getting you a birth certificate. All the stuff you’ll need. Course… it will be fake. Passport too… but I couldn’t talk her out of this… I mean, how much did Cosima tell you about the 2000s?”

“A little.” She’s shy now, unwilling to answer, even as Scott carefully moves papers aside on the small table, and sets down a white container.

“Well, here is your lunch. Cosima will be back soon… but… they’re going to find out she brought you back… And I have no idea what will happen then.” Scott clutches his head in his hands, “Dr. Womiloju doesn’t like it when we mess with her stuff. And it’s not like we can just put you back now. You’re all contaminated from 2015. You could ruin the fabric of time itself,” Scott begins to breath heavily, “creating a paradox that could unravel everything…”

“Paradox?” Delphine tilts her head. Cosima had not mentioned a paradox or the world ending. She had spent her life in a convent, or would have… there couldn’t be any ill effects to one missing nun. Or whatever she would have been there.

“We need to talk…” Scott looks around nervously, “do you have a whiteboard?”

 

**

 

“Hey Delphine,” Cosima called cheerfully from the door.

After two hours of eating an alien-looking but very delicious lunch and listening to Scott talk about time and space and paradoxes.

“Will the world really end if I stay here?” She lets it rush all out at once. The paranoia had set in, even while being encouraged to eat as Scott rambled on about butterflies and specs of dust out of place and the end of the world.

“What? No… Fuck… Scott.” Cosima groans in exasperation. “He… he watches too many science fiction movies. I mean it’s possible we altered history in some small way, if you like invented something. But I doubt it...”

“Are you sure?” Delphine breathes more steadily, “Where, where were you?”

“I had a class.” Cosima yawns, “And then I called my friend who is doing your birth certificate and passport. Weirdest thing, can’t get you a Québec one… it’s easier to get you documents from another province and then have you ‘move’ here.”

“But… But I’m québecoise!” Delphine protests.

“Umm well according to your new documents, you were born to quebecois parents outside of the province.” Cosima tells her apologetically. “Anyway, the important thing is we get the documents for you, least then you can start having a life here…. you know, after you’re less afraid of the noise and shit.”

“Right.” Delphine nods. She’s beginning to sound more and more like Cosima. Is it that easy? To fall into another time? Another person?

“Anyway… did you like your lunch?”

“It was...different. Very different.” She says at first, reflecting on the dish that Scott had brought to her. “But I liked it.”

“Pad thai… well, vegetarian pad thai… I don’t really eat meat.” Cosima explains, “but like you can if you really want to or whatever. I’m totally for choice. You can eat whatever you want… Which reminds me, I think we need to go get some groceries. I do not have enough food left in this apartment.”

“You want to take me out again?” Delphine perks up. Would it be overwhelming like the last time? The people. The noise. The smells. This was not Montréal. Not the Montréal she remembered anyway. Nearly 100 years later, so much had changed.

“Yup. Have to… get some things. The grocery store is close.” Cosima informs her, grabbing canvas bags from on top of the cupboard. “It won’t take long, consider it a test outing. See how much of the outside world you can handle.”

“And I am ….the test subject.” Delphine acknowledges, face morphing into a pout. She doesn’t want to feel like Cosima’s pet, something that needs to be constantly cared for and looked after.

“No… well yeah, if you want to think of it that way.” Cosima shrugs, grabbing her keys. “Oh yeah, we should get you sandals too.”

“Sandals would be helpful.” Delphine thinks of the plasticy pink sandals Cosima had had for her the other day. Flipflops, she’d called them. “Like yours.”

“Okay,” Cosima laughs, dreads falling down into her face. “We’ll get you some like mine.” Her lover hesitates a moment, looking her over before they exit the apartment. Shaking it off, Cosima guides her out of the apartment locking the door behind them.

She glances back at Cosima, why would she be nervous? This is her world after all. “What is it?”

“Delphine,” Cosima begins looking uncomfortable, “Are you wearing underwear?”


	5. Chapter 5

There were so many rules, Cosima mused to herself. Wear underwear. Don’t talk to strangers. Don’t stare so long at people. She’d never felt more like a parent in her life. She had to watch Delphine, the last two days had been filled with practicalities. Things she never thought she would ever have to instruct another adult in. Taking Delphine shopping for clothes, shushing her half the time so that they did not appear strange to the shopkeepers had just been the beginning. The thought that this could be the rest of her life lurked around the back of her mind, though Cosima would never voice it.

In so many ways, it had been a success, Cosima mused, glancing across at her lover sitting on the couch in a black tank and a long lightweight plum skirt. She’d had little success convincing Delphine to wear pants, though she had persuaded the blonde into purchasing a couple pairs of shorts. The Québecoise had yet to wear a bra either, but at least she now wore underwear, making Cosima buy her some with more coverage before she did so. It’s been harder than she’d thought it would be, and it had only been three days. Why had she thought Delphine would jump at the chance for this life, throw herself in and adapt ridiculously quickly? All considered, Cosima had to admit, Delphine was making good, if frustrating, progress.

“What are you thinking?” Delphine looks up at her, titling her head. And instantly, her frustration begins to dissolve, replaced by a sort of tenderness, and then when Delphine shifts herself again, tension building low in her belly. It’s like Delphine can read her when she’s like this, sense her arousal, or maybe that they’re both lost in it together.

“About you.” She finds herself grinning impishly approaching the couch, before she’s even reached Delphine, the blonde’s hands are tugging at her clothing, unfastening buttons, stripping what little she has on from her body.

This, this has been the easy part, Cosima lets herself get lost in increasingly frantic kisses, in hands roaming over nude skin, in their lovemaking. Still, Delphine had yet to go down on her. She supposed that would come with time.

Deft fingers part her and she lets them, it’s easier like this. In Delphine’s arms. In her bed… New love, new relationships, it’s usually like this. Cosima recalls, but the passion here is simply so strong. Is it Delphine? Her years of self-restraint and inexperience? Or is it the two of them together? There’s no way to be certain, she acknowledges, even as she slides one of her own hands between them, to bring them both to climax. Sating their desire, for now.

“So… your passport should arrive soon.” Cosima informed a very affectionate Delphine, spooning on the couch.

“What does that mean?” Delphine stops in the middle of a lazy trail of kisses going across her shoulder.

“It means I can get you registered with the province, but please follow the information we get from my friend. I don’t want to have an illegal immigrant issue.” She thought she’d thought of everything. The paperwork. How to get Delphine ID and into classes and into a life. But even the simplest things can confound Delphine, it was so much more than she’d expected. Not only the love, the desire, but the work required to acclimate her new girlfriend to modern life. It was worth it, Cosima told herself, it had to be.

“Could I go to school?” Delphine asks, perking up, suddenly losing interest in the texture of her arm.

“Yes…. we’ll start slow though, okay? A class or two… actually I think I should bring you to the library. Get you reading there first… solo study. I mean, Delphine, grocery stores make you nervous.” She remembered all too easily their trip the previous day. But the blonde did seem to be adjusting to the sound levels.

“I’d like that.” Delphine smiles, before turning contemplative for a moment. “Are you happy, Cosima?”

“Why are you asking?” Cosima turns to face her, so that they are pressed together, chest to knees.

“I… I need you to be happy. Is… is having me here a trial for you? I… it’s so different for me. I am trying.” Delphine looks at her earnestly. They both know that there is no going back, even if they were discovered. Delphine was ‘contaminated’ now… there would be no point. They both know they aren’t talking about sex now, that much is easy.

“I know you are,” She finds herself cupping Delphine’s face in her hands, laying slow kisses against her nose, her cheeks her, her lips.

The delighted sounds Delphine makes in her throat at her attentions have her aroused again within moments, guiding her lover back to the bed, letting her pin her down.

“I… I can do better.” Delphine offers, a determined look on her face as she moves down Cosima’s toned body. She’s learning this quickly, and yet she’d yet to master using the microwave. She delights in the feel of open mouthed kisses against her skin, at Delphine - affectionate and willing, taking pleasure in this.

The last coherent thought she has, watching blonde curls descend between her legs, is wondering if Delphine is trying to compensate her for something.

**

  
“Do you have to go?”

“Yeah. I have to meet with my advisor about my dissertation.” Cosima lets out a sigh in the middle of getting dressed, “I have to go… I’ll only be gone a few hours.”

Delphine ponders how to fill the hours alone in the apartment this time. There is no way Cosima will permit her to go wandering out alone. Although she has learned how to use the stove now, with supervision and has figured out a few devices around the apartment.

“I… I guess I’ll read.” Delphine gestures towards the history books Cosima picked up. Catching up on the world would have to do.

“Umm… actually, I decided that I shouldn’t really leave you alone… you’re going to come along, so get dressed.”

“I get to come to the university?” Delphine perks up, this interests her. She’s thought of sitting in on classes in a few weeks, but Cosima has told her she must wait until she has adjusted.

“Sort of… I have a friend. Well, a sort of friend. He’s going to watch you.”

“Watch me.” Delphine repeats.

“Yeah. Babysitter… sort of… but not like in a I don’t think you can do it way. Just in a, you still need help adjusting way.”

“Does… Does she know?”

“He… and sort of. He is the one with the friend getting your fake IDs.” Cosima summarizes quickly. “It’s this or set you up with Netflix…” The look on her lover’s face suggests that she is concerned about leaving her with the television or the Netflix or whatever the thing is called.

She hasn’t bothered much with the television, despite it being offered. And Cosima would hover, and it simply didn’t interest her. Music on the other hand, some she liked. Others, including what Cosima called her “study playlist” didn’t sound anything like any music she had ever heard in her life.

“What is his name?” Delphine rises, deciding to go along with this for now. After all, what choice did she have? There was no going back. And she certainly wouldn’t choose to leave Cosima.

“Felix.”

When she finally meets Felix, he’s wearing clothes that look far too warm for the balmy weather. The same long tight jeans that Cosima wears, his hair carefully mussed as he leans up against a wall rolling his eyes.

“You’re late.” Felix complains.

“I’m always late. Felix, Delphine. Felix, you already know the story.. So just like take her around or back to your place… I’ll meet you there when I’m done.”

“How long will you be?” Delphine appeals to Cosima, seeming nervous at Felix’s already apparent hostility.

“A couple hours.”

 

Felix butts in again. “Maybe more, her advisor likes to talk. A lot.”

“Hello Felix.” She tries, she’s read his accent correctly. He’s English, his French is probably mediocre at best. She reaches out a hand to shake his, and he scoffs at her as Cosima waves apologetically and hurries away, without even kissing her first.

“No… No… Cosima lets you go around like that?” He takes her in. “Well, you’re attractive enough to get away with it.” Felix decides finally.

She’s not sure what to make of this man. Or exactly what he is referring to. Her clothes? Her face? Her body? She’s clean and bathed, that she’s happily adjusted to. Cosima has had to kick her out of the shower more than once over the last three days.

“What?”

“Right… 1910… well… I’m going to give you a crash course on post-2000s. First… Don’t shake anyone’s hand unless you’re at a job interview or like… if they reach for yours first. Just… nod or something. Casual.” Felix eyes her critically again, and it’s easy to tell he doesn’t like her.

“You don’t like me. Why … why agree to watch me?” Delphine asks, following along as Felix leads her across campus. She’s so easily distracted by the faces, the diversity of people, their piercings, and even more so at the young couples stretched out in any grassy area, some seeming like they are about to make love outside in front of everyone.

“Stop staring at people.” Felix critiques again. “Are you some kind of voyeur?”

“Non…” She responds quietly.

“Jealous then? Cosima not enough for your rabid tastes?” He teases, she thinks but her head dips anyway.

“Oh… god… you’re from like 1910… she’s probably your only one.” Felix stops, “did Cos steal you away from a husband?”

“Non… I lived with my father. No husband. No children.” Delphine responds easily.

“Hmm… well first lesson, is anything goes. Everybody is having sex… well most everybody. With lots of people. Just ignore the people kissing and groping on the lawn. You’re French.”

“With… how many people?”

 

“Don’t ask people that.” Felix turns around quickly, “Okay, Cosima is not paying me enough to do this. Depends on the person. Some a lot. Some a few. Some over 100. Doesn’t matter. I’m sure Cosima would let you experiment around if you really wanted to…”

She has the feeling she won’t do much speaking with Felix. His words are confusing and loaded with foreign slang, or biting and dismissive. Either way, she has nothing else to do, so she follows.


	6. Chapter 6

Cosima smiled and nodded at her dissertation advisor, the woman did have a habit for lengthy tangents that frequently went on for hours and overtook her dissertation meetings. Her undergraduate students complained endlessly about this habit, but there was no way around. A tenured professor had very little to fear from those kinds of reviews.

“Ah… look at that, one hour over.” Dr. Lemieux commented, “Oh well that went fast. Leave your chapters with me and I’ll get my notes back to you later this week.”

She cannot leave fast enough. She barely makes the effort to murmur a half-hearted goodbye before bolting from the building, until she’s outside again. A quick look to her right reveals a sheepish Scott conversing with Dr. Womiloju, who while not tall, manages to be quite an imposing figure regardless. She’s easily dwarfed by Scott, and yet has the young man nearly cowering. Not that it takes much.

“Cosima.” 

She’s heard her name only once, before she’s running again. Not even sure what from. Dr. Womiloju isn’t stupid, in fact, she’s probably one of the most intelligent people that Cosima has ever met. She invented time travel for crying out loud. There is no doubt in Cosima’s mind that she knows, Scott will have wilted under questioning after six minutes, if they were lucky. The trackers will clearly show that one individual, Cosima, went to the past, and two returned. Delphine’s biodata may still be in the filters, she’d purged the information, but …

“Cosima… seriously. Stop.” Scott’s voice calls out across the street, as she dodges again, heading for the closest metro stop. She has to get to Felix’s.

He wasn’t her first choice for a babysitter, but she had decent blackmail on him, and assumed that at the very least Delphine would be safer, than being left on her own. Delphine wants to wander, she wants to see more, this she knows. But Felix… god, what will he have exposed her to?

She’s nervous when she walks up the steps to Felix’s loft. What could the worse case scenario be? Drugs? Bad Netflix shows? Cosima herself had ‘cleaned-up’ her life and apartment before bringing Delphine there, figured a good slow adjustment to the present would be best for both of them. And it still could be, Cosima hoped. 

The door swings open unaided, and she finds a wide-eyed Delphine sitting cross-legged on the couch, a mug clutched in her hands. The sounds of male moaning fill the room, and the events being carried out on the screen leaves nothing more to be pondered.

Sure enough, Felix is showing her porn. The expat taking more amusement in Delphine’s reactions, than the sexual acts playing out on screen.

“Seriously?” Cosima exclaims, quickly rushing for the remote and turning the television off. 

“She kept asking questions.” Felix says breezily, taking a drag from a freshly lit joint, the pungent smell of marijuana filling the room. “It was this or teach her to shave her legs, and I didn’t much fancy the bloodshed. Though that probably would have been good.”

“Cosima, can we go home now?” Delphine asks her in a voice that is oddly calm. 

“Felix, I could not care less about her legs… “ She shakes her head, putting a hand to her forehead, what had she been thinking with this? Porn? Felix legitimately thought showing porn to a woman who had skipped roughly ten decades was a good idea? Delphine would need hours of debriefing. 

“Delphine, let’s go…” She holds out a hand, which Delphine readily jumps up to take, looking warily at Felix as they move together towards the door.

Felix smirks, giggling again, “So… how’s the whole star-crossed lovers thing working out now? I mean… she knows nothing. And… Jesus Christ, Cosima.” He dissolves into laughter, taking another liberal drag as he watches them go. 

Not much is said until they reach the street below, even with the noise and bustle, they walk calmly hand in hand for two blocks before either one of them attempt to say anything. She’s getting better, Cosima realizes at once, it’s getting easier. Or, her brain suggests nastily, she’s in shock. 

“Cosima?” Delphine asks finally, her delicate accent lifting Cosima from her muddled thoughts. 

“Okay, first thing,” Cosima gives Delphine’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “Porn isn’t real life. That is not what most people’s sex lives are actually like. And it has nothing to do with real life.” Is she missing anything? She supposes they’ll have to discuss the sex industry, and perhaps at some point, Felix’s place in it, and her own belief that sex work should be confined to licensed brothels for the safety of everyone involved. But, now is not that time, she realizes. 

“Felix said…” Delphine trails off, seemingly content to say nothing, even as they follow the crowd down into the metro. Is she nervous? She’s always watching her now, signs of discomfort. The noise seems to bother Delphine, but she lets on as little as possible, trying to blend in.

Cosima tries again, after there is a lack of response. “Are you like, scared by what you saw?” Would she prefer that? She wonders silently, to Delphine being aroused by it? Did it even matter?

Delphine tilts her head, thinking. “It was very strange.”

“Yeah. It can be, and with Felix’s tastes…” Cosima shakes her head, “don’t worry about it.”

Delphine seems to relax, even leaning into her on the subway, in what seems like affection rather than fear. No one bother them, a few men look or leer slightly, but her own eyes meet theirs with an icy glare that threatens bodily harm if they stand too close.

It’s not until they’re home again, until she finds herself pulled into Delphine’s arms, fingers stroking along the lengths of her cheeks, her shoulders that Delphine seems brave enough to ask anything.

She’s laying what is intended to be a sweet kiss against Delphine’s lips, before stopping at the look on her lover’s face and laughing. “What? What is it… you’re thinking about something.”

“Cosima do women really put on false penises and -” Delphine looks almost relieved when she cuts her off.

She cannot resist laughing, it’s not time to talk about that just yet. “God… what else did Felix tell you?”

But Delphine doesn’t answer her, instead asking, “Why are you friends with Felix?”

“Well… I just am.” Cosima says diplomatically, “I mean he’s an asshole more than half the time, but I figured he’d be a safe enough person to leave you with.”

“I… I don’t think he likes me.”

She kisses Delphine's soft cheek, taking a moment to nuzzle into her skin, her hair. “He hates everyone. Don’t take it personally.” Though, in hindsight the blackmail didn’t help matters. Nor did Delphine’s attractiveness. 

“Does he hate you?”

“Sometimes. Do you have any questions?” Maybe it’s time for that debriefing after all, at least taking it head on would get it all over with.

“What was Felix smoking?” Delphine asks finally, giving her the strong feeling that that is not her most burning question, nevertheless she begins to answer, as calmly as possible. 

A hundred and one questions, Cosima sighs. But, she’d just have to have patience. And maybe, get Delphine a library card. Or at least, lend her her own and drag her there. Perhaps that would be a better outing for the two of them.


	7. Chapter 7

Delphine smiles contently from the small stack of books Cosima had left her with. They’d spend the morning at the public library. Most of the books were history related, all in French, many focusing on Québec. At any rate, they could catch her up. A few others were interest related, about the sciences. Those she would use to reward herself after finishing the history books. 

It was only an hour or two Cosima would be gone today, nothing so significant as before. She lay back on the couch, enjoying a playlist Cosima had put together for her of music from the 20s, 30s, and 40s. The goal, her silly lover had explained to her, was adapting Delphine to modern music, a few decades at a time. Jazz, was much easier on her ears than some of Cosima’s music. The only part of Cosima’s music she liked at all was watching the small brunette dance to to. Twisting her hands and moving fluidly along to it. 

La Révolution tranquille. The Quiet Revolution, Delphine muses at the title before digging into the book. She finds herself quickly captivated by it, the history, the black and white photos, watching her home, son pays, assert itself and make drastic social changes, investing in education and health. She’s stunned by the secularisation, it seems so alien, so strange. Even not going to church for mass feels odd to her now.

Schools without religion. People no longer having a large number of children. Everything familiar about home changed, altered, completely different. It wasn’t her Québec anymore. It was something else entirely.

And yet, she remains transfixed on her book, on the small pile Cosima has found for her. The time goes quickly, until she reaches yet another chapter in the same book. A phrase catches her eyes. “Vivre le Québec Libre.” Delphine says aloud, feeling the words in her mouth. 

“Hey Delphine!” Cosima greets her happily upon coming home, “so I’m looking for a new apartment for us, just near a subway stop so we can get around easily. And my friend knows of this great rental out in La Petite Patrie, so if you want to check it out-”

 

“Yes.” Delphine nods, a question building inside of her. She doesn’t even have the patience to let Cosima finish her question. The bachelor is a little small for both of them.

“What is it?”

She can barely contain her excitement. “Is Québec its own country now?”

 

Cosima laughs. “I see you’ve reached the part of that book on separatism.” 

“Well?”

“No. It was decided against, there was a formal vote in the 90s, but though it was close, majority chose to stay a part of Canada. I mean there are still a small minority who’d go for it, but mostly? Nope.”

“But why?” Delphine pouts. What she was reading had seemed so sure, so captivating. And yet, whatever it was, the movement had failed.

 

“Oh god… have you become a separatist in the last two hours?”

“Non…” Delphine considers it slowly, this world is so strange to her she doubts it would make much of a difference.

“Good. No separatism.” Cosima chides her, teasingly. “I ...uh got something for you. For us really.”

“What is it?”

Cosima produces a smallish box, too large, unfortunately to be a ring. Surely it must be coming, Delphine thinks. She already shares Cosima’s bed. Cosima’s life. Perhaps next spring they will marry. 

Delphine gapes at the phallic object inside, it reminds her vaguely of a penis. But why would Cosima be giving her one of these? She’d seen it in those dirty movies Felix watches, but… why would they need one?

“What… what is this for?” Delphine 

“It’s a dildo… it’s… for sex. For imitating what a man could do to you.” Cosima answers, “it’s not a realistic one or… even that big… it’s just… if you want to try it.”

“But...why?” She cannot understand why Cosima wants to stick this...thing inside her. 

Cosima backtracks, uncomfortably. “It’s...fun. I mean, we don’t have to. Also, I was looking at this little place in Verdun, it’d be a metro ride. But it’d be nicer, maybe a little quieter. It’s a gentrifying area though.”

“We can look at apartments.” Delphine agrees. Having doors might be good.

“Great. I’ll go find listings of one and two bedroom, and we can go check them out. We should also check out the neighbourhood.”

“Two bedrooms?” Delphine furrows her brow.

“For study space… unless you want your own room?” Cosima offers meekly.

“Non, non, I want to share with you.” Delphine reaches out, to stroke Cosima’s cheeks. To pull her into her arms.

**

Exploring various neighbourhoods and rental listings proves interesting. She gets to watch Delphine react, of course they won’t live anywhere too downtrodden, or far from the universities, but she also wants Delphine to be as comfortable as possible.

“Do you like this one?” Cosima asks as they explore yet another quartier, intent on Delphine helping her make this decision.

“Yes.” Delphine smiles. “It’s pretty, little restaurants and shops, apartments.”

“And everything within walking distance, groceries, hardware stores… because we do not have a car.” Cosima reminds Delphine. Not that that is a problem most places in Montréal. 

“We’ll find a place.” Delphine assures Cosima, giving her hand a squeeze. 

The more Delphine looks, the more she is fascinated at the strangely dressed and diverse strangers walking down the street. Cosima is simply relieved that they can do this now. Take a simple walk down the street. Go out to a restaurant. 

“You’re...getting used to being here.” Cosima comments happily, of course they have a long ways to go, before she can bring Delphine to Pride for example. But, they’ll get there. 

“Cosima… when we will marry?” Delphine asks calmly, without missing a beat. 

“Umm well, I never want to get married.” Cosima winces at the stricken look on Delphine’s face. “It’s a patriarchal institution and the government has no place in my bedroom. Right? So…”

“Mais…” Delphine looks as if she’s been slapped.

“I love you. I want to be with you… but I don’t want to get married. Not my wife. Okay?” Cosima tries to soften the blow. Surely Delphine should be able to understand that they can just be together. They don’t have to take like, legal measures. Lots of couples just lived together, especially in Québec. She could get Delphine some like reading, and they’d work through this. 

Instead Cosima watches Delphine’s face tear up and redden, until her lover is full on ugly crying in public.

“Oh. Oh baby…” Cosima reaches out her arms, trying to pull Delphine into a hug, as people pass by them, looking over at them, with either interest or concern. 

She’s ruined this, Cosima realizes as Delphine continues shaking off her arms, continuing to cry. She’s completely ruined this day.


	8. Chapter 8

Delphine cries for three days. Cosima doesn’t want her. Doesn’t want to marry her. Doesn’t love her enough to take her as a wife. It takes another day to realize that perhaps Cosima does not understand what she is asking her to do.

She had assumed, that Cosima being her lover, that Cosima bringing her here meant that Cosima wanted her as a wife. It was Cosima who had told her such a thing was possible in her time. It had been before she’d left her home, everything she knew. Marriage… That they both wanted that. Instead… Delphine tears up again at the thought, she would be nothing more than Cosima’s whore.

Cosima, other than refusing to marry her, had tried to be comforting about it. If as if anything could ease the shame and anguish she felt. Cosima had made her dinner, offered to take her out, tried seduction… how could her lover be so ignorant? How could she be so blind to how this made her feel?

“Oh… god Delphine, not again.” Cosima winces at the sight of her tearstained face. “Can we… just not talk about it?”

“But why? Why Cosima?”

For this, Cosima doesn’t seem to have an answer.

“Tu voulais que je reste ta… putain.” Delphine bawled again. Is that all she would ever be? She couldn’t imagine leaving Cosima. It didn’t seem possible, she was tied to her now. It was done.

“Baby, no… not a whore. Lots of people just live together. It’s not… it’s not what it was. So many people do it.” Cosima tries again, unsuccessfully to make some sort of point resting on semantics.

When she merely cries in response, Cosima lets it go.

“Delphine, I love you.” Cosima tells her simply, but she still shakes off Cosima’s hands, still won’t let her kiss her, nevermind bed her.

“Je t’aime aussi.” She whispers back, that much is true, she doesn’t want to leave Cosima. Even if she could, though a brief idea of finding someone else to marry her to take away the shame had crossed her mind.

“Then why are you so upset about this?” Cosima tosses back. “If you love me, and you get to be with me, and we’ll have our lives together?”

“Because you won’t marry me!” Delphine sobs again.

“We’ve been through this!” Cosima becomes exasperated, standing up to pace back and forth, her arms flying wildly as her hands express her frustration with their standstill. “I don’t understand you!”

“Of course you don’t.” Delphine responds, as calmly as she can muster. “I am not sure you are trying. I don’t think you understand this at all.”

“I understand it fine! I told you, marriage is a patriarchal institution made to oppress women. I told you I don’t want to get married. I told you it’s not as common as it was. I told you living together is a viable alternative. I told you the stigma you’re thinking of no longer exists!”

“Then why did you tell me it was legal for us to get married in your time? Why did you reassure me that this was in Québec as well?” Delphine argues. She might have gone with Cosima anyway, but why dangle the carrot if she had no intention of following through? Why was Cosima like this? Had culture degraded so much that a marriage meant nothing? It was ridiculous.

“Well, having the right, is fine. I mean, yay equality. But it’s a dumb thing to do. Like, we’d be legally tied together. Why? There’s no point.”

She stands, trying to calm the last few tears that she was unable to stop from falling. “We are already tied together Cosima. I cannot leave you. Do you realize this? And now… now I have no choice in this. I’ll be… I’ll be your whore.” She walks out onto the balcony, slamming the glass sliding door behind her. It bumps against the wall and slides open again.

“Please don’t slam that door.” Cosima seethes on the couch. “Seriously… And lay off on the ‘whore’ thing. You are being ridiculous.”

Delphine hears her later, through the bathroom door, talking into her phone about her. The tiny device Cosima carried with her near everywhere for communication. Cosima whined about her, and was met with a harsh sounding voice on the other end. Though whether they are merely annoyed with her beloved or think that she herself is being ridiculous she’ll never know.

A few mornings later, they’ve settled into an uneasy truce. Neither broaches the subject of marriage or their fight. She kisses Cosima on the cheek one morning when she’s drinking her tea and the smile that she sees in response calms her all the way through. But can she live like this? Is this enough for her?

“Moving date is set.” Cosima responds, “First of August. We move to the new place in Verdun. Two bedrooms.”

“Okay.” Delphine nods. That sounds reasonable. And finally doors, an opportunity to sequester herself away from Cosima and just read. Just try to understand this world.

**

A couple weeks later, things had sort of calmed down. Except of course, that Delphine was far less interested in sex before she’d dropped the ‘never-want-to-get-married’ bomb. It was ridiculous, she didn’t understand why Delphine just couldn’t adapt. Surely, she’d see that it was unnecessary. How much longer would this last?

And yet, Delphine still didn’t enjoy music from any period later than the 1960s, she was reluctant to watch movies or television with her, so much of 1910 stayed with Delphine. Maybe she’d never be able to push Delphine completely in line with the present. But if she could ease Delphine’s mindset just a few decades more, it’d be easier.

It’s weeks, before Delphine will even kiss her again, laying a soft kiss on her lips, one day on the way back from the library. That much had been going well, and with the passport, a health card had been ordered, the beginnings of documents for Delphine’s life. To let her live here.

“Je t’aime.” Delphine tells her, kissing her again.

“Let’s go out… get some dinner.” Cosima suggests, maybe romancing Delphine would help alleviate the tension. Maybe it would encourage her love to consider resuming their sex life. She hadn’t asked, figuring if they weren’t even making out, that Delphine was really not in the mood.

Dinner goes well, they sit at the bar at some resto-bar, and Delphine picks at her salad. Food, had possibly been the easiest adjustment. Sexually, and culinarily, Delphine was adventurous. At least to a point.

“How are you feeling?” Cosima asks instead across the table, their food sitting half finished between them. “Like, really?”

“I’m ...okay.” Delphine responds, taking another bite of her dinner.

Cosima thinks she knows how to revive this. Knows what Delphine might want. “So ...you want to register for a class or two in September? At one of the universities?”

“Yes!” Delphine exclaims loudly, she giggles excitedly, still picking at her dinner.

“Okay, we’ll do that.” Cosima grins at her, this is getting easier. And she has the rest of the summer to spend with Delphine, helping her acclimate. Taking her around the city, maybe even to Québec City, letting her love visit that place that still looks so much like it probably should in Delphine’s mind. She could show her, that this was enough. That they didn’t need to get married. That their lives would be beautiful.

She takes a liberal sip of wine, and watches her. Why is she still so enamoured? Why is this still so thrilling? Even with weeks of no sex. Even if Delphine is kind of pissed at her.

She watches Delphine wander her way to the back of the bar, to the washroom. She’ll need to figure out logistics, how to get her registered. How to make this all work. But she has to. It’s time.

Cosima grins as she sips her wine, noting that Delphine’s glass is already half empty. She flags the server for a refill. Her evening plans morphing into perhaps going out for dessert after, and ...maybe dancing. Delphine was brave enough now. She knew that much. And with her responsibilities done until the fall, she would have the time to help Delphine. She’d make sure she was ready for classes. She’d make sure, just in case, that Delphine could survive here without her.

A man approaches Delphine on her way back towards the bar, and she watches in disbelief as he begins flirting. No doubt offering to buy her a drink.

She assumes, he’s read them incorrectly, as two friends getting drinks and a quick bite together. Surely Delphine will sort him out, point over at her and she’ll wave and the dude will get lost.

It goes on too long for her liking, what the heck is Delphine doing? Cosima cranes her neck back to see, the forward son-of-a-bitch has his hand resting against Delphine’s hip, and she watches her lover blush uncertainly. Of course Delphine has no idea what to do, and she’d be polite but… is she enjoying it?

Delphine enjoys the attention. That much is obvious. Cosima finds herself seething again, and wills herself to calm down. Was Delphine trying to make her jealous? Was this curiosity? Or was it genuine?

She’s never been with anyone but you. Felix’s words echo in her mind. Maybe her out-of-time love was bisexual. Could she prevent Delphine from experimenting? Should she even want to? Intellectually and emotionally, the thought put her at odds with herself.

Cosima knows too well, she wants Delphine all to herself. But was that fair?

Delphine smiles, and walks back over, taking her seat next to Cosima. “That...was interesting.”

“Was he trying to pick you up?”

 

Delphine seems confused, “he wanted to invite me to watch movies and chill? After buying me a drink.”

 

Definitely a fuckboy, Cosima decides to herself. “He wants to have sex with you.” Might as well eliminate the mystery of this for Delphine.

“He does?” Delphine glances over at the young man again, who waves at her again.

“If you want to…” Cosima tries desperately to keep emotion out of her voice, “then you should… just to see if you want. Just like, make sure he uses a condom.” Of course that wasn’t the only concern, Delphine was inexperienced, what if he hurt her? What if… Delphine preferred heterosexual intercourse? Would that be the end for them?

“A condom?” Delphine’s nose wrinkles as she repeats the unfamiliar word. Of course, Delphine hasn’t the slightest clue what it is. Fuck, it’s not safe. She cannot let Delphine go home with this guy. Or any guy. Maybe she could like, find YouTube videos to educate Delphine on safe sex. She’s not trusting some fuckboy to insist on safe sex.

“You don’t have to do anything.” Cosima informs her, drawing Delphine half into her arms to speak privately. “Like, enjoy the attention and we can go home tonight. But, if you want to have sex with someone else… I don’t want to stop you from exploring. You… you deserve that chance. But we have to talk about safe sex first.” She tries to keep the emotion out of her voice, to keep this strictly educational but she knows she is failing.

 

“What?” Delphine seems confused for a moment, “I wouldn’t… not unless you were there with me. I don’t want to without you.”

“Oh thank god…” Cosima breathes a sigh of relief. “Wait… you didn’t suggest we have a threeway, did you?”

“Felix said that was normal here.” Delphine deadpans for a moment, and her heart stops, before she catches the look in Delphine’s eyes. She’s… joking, Cosima realizes mirthfully.

She laughs back, and leans in to lay a lengthy kiss on Delphine’s lips, not even caring that the flirt with his eyes on Delphine is approaching them. It doesn’t matter, this can work. It has to work.

“Do you… do you want to know what that’s like?” Cosima asks, gently, with Delphine still cupping her face, when her beloved falters she knows what to do.

“I don’t know?” Delphine responds uncertainly. It’s not an outright refusal though.

“I can do that for you.” She responds, her voice a low whisper. “And he doesn’t need to be involved at all.”

Delphine sighs, squeezing at her closest hand with one of her own. “I know…”

“What do you want, Delphine?” Cosima asks gently.

“I want to go home.”

 

“Okay. Definitely.” Cosima pays their bill, and moves to leave.

The young man in question approaches them both, and she quickly makes it clear that she and Delphine are a couple, and he is to fuck off, immediately.

**

She thinks she understands what Cosima means, she knows she’s referring to the toy she refused as soon as she saw it.

Delphine hadn’t minded when Cosima had told her potential sex partner to get lost, or when Cosima had informed him that they were a couple and not interested in a third. She could only imagine it had something to do with a threeway, a sex act she was quite certain she didn’t want.

And it was true, she wasn’t interested in experimenting, unless she could be held in Cosima’s arms the entire time. Even if her beloved refused to marry her. She could meet Cosima halfway like this, but would Cosima try to bridge the rest of the gap?

“Would you have really let me?” Delphine asks, even as she watches a buck naked Cosima fetch the false phallus and work it into some black contraption of straps before pulling it up over her hips. She doesn’t have much experience in this sort of thing, but it seems… large. But, surely Cosima must know what she is doing.

“Yes.” Cosima doesn’t miss a beat. “But… oh god, Delphine, it would have killed me.”

“Killed you?” She blinks, wasn’t that normal? Wasn’t everyone sleeping with everyone all the time anyway? Not getting married? Or was that just Felix? Just Cosima? Perhaps she needed to speak with more people, see what habits really were.

“Emotionally.” Cosima admits. “Yeah, I am boring and monogamous, I mean, the idea of having an open relationship is cool. Like, the lack of jealousy and the freedom. But ...I don’t want one.”

 

“But you don’t want to get married.” Delphine surmises. Perhaps, she and Cosima were closer to being on the same page than they thought. At least she would be Cosima’s only kept woman. There would be no other, if Cosima could promise that…

“That about sums it up.” Cosima stops, tilting her head. “Are we fighting again? Because if so, I want to take the toy off.”

It hadn’t been a fight, Delphine remembers. She’d cried and cried for hours, and Cosima had been unable to comfort her. But if this was her life now, if this is the only way to be with her Cosima, she’d consent to be just her amoureuse, just her lover. If that was all she could have. At least she’d be with Cosima then.

“Non.” Delphine responds, distracting her lover with kisses. This she can do, this is easy. Kissing Cosima. Loving Cosima. She can give her this, certainly it would be okay.

“Hey, wait,” Cosima calls softly when she pulls her down on top of her. “We are going to go really slowly.”

Delphine giggles, this seems odd. She’d expected Cosima to leap at the chance to make love again. “Why?”

“Because you’ve only had a couple of my fingers inside you and this is bigger, and I don’t want it to hurt.” Cosima answers honestly.

“Neither do I.” Delphine agrees, she pulls her beloved in to kiss, showing her how much she loves her.

“I want this to be good for you.” Cosima murmurs, moving over her gently, almost as if she’s lulling her into a trance, with slow drawn out touches. Everything is suddenly so slow, and maybe it’s that it has been a couple weeks, but it seems… intense. The brush of fingers against her breast, or against her hip has her gasping and pulling Cosima’s lips back to her own.

But her lover grows resistant, instead wandering her mouth along her clavicles, her shoulders.  
Lips kiss down her body, and it’s somewhat unexpected. Delphine has learned what this leads to. She thought Cosima would simply want to use the...toy. Cosima settles between her legs, opting instead to stimulate her with her mouth. It had been strange at first, but, the pleasure and Cosima’s undeniable enjoyment had won her over. This, Delphine now believed, was a marvellous way to make love.

Delphine relaxes into it, she enjoys this. Cosima’s mouth, her tongue flicking at her, she holds her to her. Try to show her affection by cupping her head in her hands, by reaching for her. But as always, it becomes very distracting. Jolts of pleasure hitting her with every stroke of Cosima’s tongue.

She reaches her peak, and arching, holds Cosima to her. And when she looks down at her beloved, she wants to tell her so many things. That nothing is missing from their lovemaking. That she wants to be with her forever. That she’d marry Cosima the second she changed her mind. If she ever changed her mind, Delphine blinks back a few tears at the thought. Instead she pants, letting a warm silence take the place of her words. Her heart both broken and mended.

“So hot.” Cosima mumbles, as she reluctantly releases her sex from her mouth. Laying a few kisses on sensitive skin.

Delphine thinks first of turning Cosima over, of returning the favour, but the harness was in the way, a black phallus jutting out from it. She wasn't sure how to remove it from Cosima’s body, if her beloved would even let her.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Cosima reassures her as she moves back up, settling herself between Delphine’s still spread legs.

“Is it… large?” Delphine glances down at it, she cannot bring herself to call it anything else aloud.

“The dildo? It’s only about six inches.” Cosima leans down for another kiss, she tastes herself, another thing she’s grown used to.

She;s not entirely sure what the point of this is. After all, Cosima cannot feel it. It isn't… real. Perhaps it is all about assuaging her own curiosity. Though now, Delphine thinks, as Cosima gently thrusts two fingers into her with a grin, she’s more nervous than anything.

“Oh baby… oh baby…” Cosima croons at her again. Why ‘baby’ was Cosima’s preferred pet name, she’d never know. But she knew there was affection in it, and certainly Cosima wouldn’t harm her, at least not like this.

Cosima stops, withdrawing, reaching over for a small bottle, slathering it in some sticky looking liquid.

“What… what is that?” Delphine begins to sit up, brow furrowing.

“Just extra lubricant.” Cosima brushes her off, leaning back down over her. “It’s fine.”

 

Cosima moves herself back over her, drawing her in for another slow kiss before easing herself between her legs, trying to guide it in.

It is not like taking Cosima's fingers, Delphine quickly realizes at the pressure she feels. The phallus slides in slowly, with a stinging stretch. Surely, this wasn’t supposed to be this uncomfortable.

She looks at Cosima for reassurance, who smiles at her. It must get better, Delphine thinks.

“Cosima…” She breathes simply, reaching out for her lover, who continues the slow slide in.

Even with the gentleness, when Cosima begins slowly thrusting, it is … tolerable but uncomfortable. Delphine waits a couple minutes, and when the only descriptor she can think of for the act becomes ‘awkward’ she knows this will not make her climax.

“Hey… how are you?” Cosima is looking down at her intently, stilling in her movements. “You’re really quiet.”

“Arrête… Stop.” Delphine begs finally. This isn’t working, and Cosima immediately withdraws. She doesn’t miss the fullness, or the stretch.

“Well that didn’t go as well as expected.” Cosima laughs. “I’m sorry. I’ve never been anyone’s first ever before. I… I should have tried like more fingers first. Or something.”

“I… I don’t think I like it.” She admits. Though she’d tried. She’d met Cosima halfway.

“You can always say no to me,” Cosima explains, as her hands undo buckles and clasps, tossing the unfortunate contraption onto the floor. “Like, you have 50% say in everything we do, and when it’s your body, you have 100% say.”

“I don’t want to do that again.” Delphine speaks firmly, in a calm voice.

Cosima nods, and though she sees some disappointment in her face, she’s kissing her again within minutes.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t try to push you so much.” Cosima murmurs, as she moves in to cuddle. “Come here.” And she’s been kissed again, all over her face, her lips.

Though, Delphine thinks, as she’s tangled in Cosima’s arms. If she has 50% say, shouldn’t that be in everything?


	9. Chapter 9

She fucked up. Cosima realizes. She pushes Delphine too much. Too far. She needs to meet her halfway. Needs to let Delphine be Delphine. And sometimes… it’s achingly perfect. And sometimes it makes her want to yell in frustration.

Delphine will never be like a woman born in the 80s, like her. She has to accept that. Cosima tells herself quietly. She needs to take Delphine as she is. And, she supposes over a long period of time they’ll grow together.

“You don’t need to shave anything.” Cosima tells her in the morning when Delphine asks for help shaving her legs. “Like… I don’t care.”

“Should I shave under my arms too?” Delphine asks sitting on the edge of the bathtub, slowly shaving the hair from her legs.

Cosima shakes her head. “No need… also razor burn. I’ll buzz it short for you if you want. I have a personal hair trimmer in the cupboard.” She offers.

She’d given up most of her pubic grooming since taking up with Delphine, the personal hair trimmer had sat unused since.  
“Yes.” Delphine agrees, raising her arms when she pulls out the trimmer.

She does as Delphine asks, but she feels almost reluctant about it. She’d gotten used to Delphine’s body as it was, there was nothing wrong with it after all.

“Why now?” Cosima asks as she’s packing away the trimmer again.

 

“I… I want to be attractive to you.” Delphine answers simply, as she dries off her now hairless legs.

“You are!” Cosima shakes her head, dipping to kiss her on the shoulder. “I don’t care about that.”

“Non?”

“Not at all…” Cosima hesitates, and then offers, “so we need to get packing, but… there is a classical music/choral thing at one of the churches downtown. Do you want to go?”

Delphine responds enthusiastically, without hesitation. “Yes.”

“It’s not church.” Cosima wants to be clear about that much, “they’re just using it as a cheap venue. But… I thought you might like it.” These things, little things she can do that Delphine will like. That she can… try to enjoy.

 

“Yes!” Delphine grins and kisses her, before moving a hand to assess the now buzzed short hair under her arms. “It’s so… prickly.”

“Yup.” Cosima nods. “It’ll grow back out in a few weeks… no worries.”

Delphine hums.

“What do you want, Delphine? Really?”

“This is the life I want.” Delphine tells Cosima, kissing her on the mouth. “I just… I need something to do.”

“I know, we’ll get you into classes.” Cosima assures her. “You need to be engaged, with that mind of yours. I want you to be happy here with me.” There is after all, no going back. For either of them.

 

“I want you. I want this.” Delphine tells her again, kissing her mouth. “I want to be with you, Cosima, every way I can be.”

She grins, unable to help herself, the ringing of her phone has her dodging out of the bathroom and diving for her phone on the couch. She checks the number, before answering with some hesitation.

“Hey Scott.” Cosima attempts to sound casual, instead watching the calming sight of Delphine getting dressed, selecting a skirt and other clothing.

“Cosima I have been trying to get a hold of you for over a week.” Scott sounds annoyed but there’s nothing to do.

“Delphine and I were apartment hunting, we got a new place. Out in Verdun.” Cosima tells him briefly. Surely that is more than enough information.

Scott nervously tries again to confront her. “Cosima… Dr. Womiloju knows. You can’t outrun her by moving to Verdun. And why go that far out?”

 

“I can try.” Cosima responds. “It’s on the metro line. It’ll be fine.”

“Cosima, she wants you to come here, to the university with Delphine.”

“No can do man, I’m taking Delphine to a music thing this afternoon.” Cosima tries to brush him off.

“Cosima is this serious.” Scott raises his voice at her.

“I know…” Cosima whines into the phone, watching as Delphine slides herself into a tank top, before fastening a light blouse over top.

“Like, she’s going to get you down here one way or another. You’d better cooperate.” Scott tries again.

“What is she going to do? Show up at my apartment?”

“No, but she will get you kicked out of your program.” Scott informs her, more concerned than furious.

“Shit… shit. OK, I’ll come in. With Delphine.” Cosima sighs. How the fuck is she going to manage this?

**

She isn’t sure who is more terrified on the metro ride to McGill. Whether it’s Delphine who has taken a moment to observe some very obscene graffiti, or herself fearing for her academic future.

Delphine clings to her hand, but doesn’t react as much to the noise and bustle of the city, or the campus as she leads her into the physics building.

Scott is, unsurprisingly, waiting for them outside the faculty offices. “She’s waiting for you.” Scott says simply, not giving anything else away, just shuffling his feet against the tile.

“Wait here with Scott.” Cosima tells Delphine, she wants to figure out where everything stands first. Dr. Womiloju, she won’t want to put Delphine back. Will she?

“Cosima…” Delphine calls her name as she walks away towards the door, opening it, and closing it behind her.

“Miss Niehaus.” Dr. Womiloju looks up at her, dark eyes hard and taps her desk. “Take a seat.”

“Hey Dr. W.” Cosima waves halfheartedly before sinking onto a rather uncomfortable chair in the tiny office.

“So… you took a woman from 1910. When you weren’t even on shift for tests.”

“Yes.” Cosima nods, there’s no point in trying to deny anything.

“Why?”

 

“Because… because she had no life in 1910.”

 

The prof snorts at her, “of course she had a life. Scott already informed me of her name. Delphine Cormier. And that she was not suffering from any disease when you brought her here. Not that you should have brought anyone.”

“I … I couldn’t leave here there.” Cosima tries again. Her love for Delphine, as stupid and inconvenient as it was. Her desire for Delphine to have a full life.

“Couldn’t or wouldn’t?” Dr. W stares her down across the table.

“I wanted…” Cosima lets herself trail off. “I wanted a better life for Delphine, and… maybe it was a mistake.” She’d never truly regret it, Cosima knew that innately, but it was probably not the best decision she had ever made. Especially for her own academic future.

“But,” Dr. Womiloju observes Cosima with her big dark eyes, “we cannot exactly put her back now, can we?”

“I guess not.” Cosima feels relief flood her. A fear she’d been unwilling to entertain dissipating instantly.

 

“She’s contaminated.” Dr. Womiloju, “Are you willing to keep her out of trouble? Continue looking after her? I’m not certain that a woman from 1910 could adjust to this time. It’s going to be a lot of hard work. And you need to take responsibility.”

“I have. And I do.” Cosima assures her, “I haven’t set Delphine loose. I’ve been trying to acclimate her, getting her books.”

“And she’s your lover?” Dr. Womiloju pulls no punches, just rests her face in her hands, both curious and disappointed.

“Yes.” She nods.

“Odd. You’d think a woman from that era would be horrified. Or at least scandalized.”

“That hasn’t been a problem.” Cosima states harshly, “Delphine and I are in love.” If only she could understand how much. How deep the need went, how it nearly overwhelmed her at times. Whenever she had begun to think what a terrible idea it had been, how Delphine didn’t belong here in this time, all the blonde had to do was look at her. Or the moments Delphine had expressed joy. Over new food, different music, or even….sex.

“Yes, Scott mentioned that.” The prof stands, pacing back and forth, “don’t forget that you need to manage this. I am not going to help you.”

“I understand.”

“And neither you nor Scott will ever have access to time travel ever again.”

A suitable punishment, if there ever was one.

“Fine,” Cosima can admit a small amount of disappointment. “Just… help us help Delphine.”

“I will do what I can.” Dr. Womiloju responds, “I think you should register her in classes for September. Not here… at UQAM or Université de Montréal, don’t make her work for it in her second language.”

“I will. I was going to.” Cosima assures her. “I want Delphine to be happy. I want her to have a real life.”  
“And I want to meet her.” Dr. Womiloju seems imposing for a moment, although they are the same height.

“OK.”

“I am going to have Delphine assessed by some colleagues, just academics-wise. We’ll pass her off as homeschooled.”

“That seems… reasonable.” Cosima stands up and opens the door.

Delphine immediately stands, and walks inside, she stares at the prof, whether it’s her dark skin, or just utter fear, Cosima cannot be sure.

“Delphine, this is Dr. Womiloju,” Cosima manages the introduction quickly, “she’s the one who invented the time-travel device.”

“Hello.” Delphine extends her hand for a handshake, which is met warmly.

“Hello Delphine.” Her prof seems inclined to be a lot kinder to Delphine than to her. “I have one question for you, do you want to go home?”

 

Her lover is quiet, too quiet for a moment. She doesn’t move to fill the gap like she usually does, she takes Delphine’s hand and just waits. Maybe Delphine does want to leave. Maybe, despite all her efforts, for Delphine this is all a huge mistake.

“I miss my papa, my city…” Delphine admits after a few minutes of silence, “sometimes.”

It hits Cosima like a punch to the gut, how had she not seen this? She’d assumed Delphine would miss it sometimes of course. But Delphine wanting to go home, even when she can’t hurts.

“I am very sorry Delphine, but we cannot put you back.” Dr. Womiloju informs her gently. “What I can offer, is help getting into courses. I will do what I can on that end, but ultimately, you and Cosima are on your own.”

“I… I wouldn’t want to leave Cosima either though… I don’t belong anywhere anymore.” Delphine summarizes for them.

“I got her a passport… and a health card.” Cosima offers somewhat meekly.

“Fakes?” Dr. W looks at her again with a sigh, “we can do better. We’ll get you a real one Delphine.”

“Merci.” Delphine says simply, looking down again.

“Well… I won’t be checking in with you again, except by phone and email. You’re blacklisted for the project, do not attempt to get anywhere near the device.” Dr. W tells her.

“Are we free to go?” Cosima looks between the two of them.

“Yes… go. There’s nothing more I can do for you.” Dr. Womiloju drums her fingers on the desk, “though you did test multi-person time travel for me, that is the next stage.”

She’ll never see it. Cosima knows. Never have the experience of going through time with Scott and taking more sneaky polaroids. But it doesn’t matter.

“Are you sad?” Delphine asks her, as they slowly make their way back outside, navigating the city.

“No… I have you.” Cosima leans in to give her a kiss on the cheek. “And, I’ll do whatever I have to do to keep you content here with me.” Of Course Delphine misses her family, her world. And now, Cosima understands, she is all Delphine has here.

“Anything?” Delphine murmurs softly.

“Anything.” Cosima responds with a swallow.


	10. Chapter 10

The leaves have just barely begun to change when things shift again. Delphine had opted to try wearing jeans as the summer cooled into fall. Soon enough, Cosima knew, there would be snow and she’d have to convince Delphine into coats and mittens, and well-insulated boots. Though, she suspected, it would be less of a battle than the underwear.

Delphine smiles happily at her, as they walk from the metro station to Felix’s patio. There’s nothing she needs to say now, instead opting to watch Delphine’s face as she observes the buildings, and triplexes until they reach their destination.

“Are you sure we’re not too late?” Delphine asks her, but sure enough they are waved in to the party.

“Hey!” Their host greets them, “grab your own drinks from the fridge inside, the cooler is pretty much empty.

This, they are capable of this now, though she notices Delphine tense at the music blaring from a speaker. It’s far more her speed than Delphine’s. A few people mill about the patio, probably twice as many as can comfortably fit around here. But it works.

“So… what’s new?” Scott asks, somehow having managed to snag an invitation. He sips a wine cooler as he pokes at some slightly overcooked appetizer.

“I get to go to university!” Delphine smiles, surrounded by several familiar faces, a last minute patio party. “I have already started classes. Two of them!”

Explaining Delphine to her friends, is something she ultimately opted not to do. Cosima grins, she’d joked Delphine was from another time, and ultimately they’d chosen to believe that Delphine was just homeschooled and weird. It worked. Socially, the adjustment was the most difficult. Cosima worried, but she had to let Delphine flounder a bit, let her figure things out.

Scott is grinning back, “yeah you do.”

“So… what is going on with the two of you now?” Felix looks between the two of them Delphine waves at her affectionately, and resumes talking to another friend of hers. “I don’t think I have ever seen her this happy.”

“Compromise. Both the fuel and result of love.” Cosima quips happily. It wasn’t bad after all, they were going to make it okay. And if this is what Delphine needed to be happy, it wasn’t so bad.

“Compromise? What are you compromising on? Not Delphine’s courses… she needs that you know. I can’t wait to see what happens when she gets a job.” Felix laughs, before taking a liberal swig of his drink.

“No… it’s… well...” Cosima manages a bit awkwardly, “I’m getting married.” Admitting it to people was surprisingly the worst part. She was starting to get over the embarrassment. If she’d been more discreet about her abstract thoughts on marriage before she wouldn’t be in this mess now.

Felix spits out a bit of mimosa. “Married?!”

“Yeah. Winter wedding, around New Year’s… we’ve already decided.” Cosima shrugs looking back over at her adorable Delphine. Surely, they had a long road ahead of them. But they’d manage it together.

“You’re getting married!?” Felix exclaims a bit too loudly. A bunch of faces turn in their direction.

“Fe, relax.” Sarah looks at him, “chill.” Sarah had decided Delphine was ‘a freak’, but ultimately shrugged off her presence. And maybe it was enough, that they had some acceptance here.

Delphine rushes over, presenting him with her hand, the classy aquamarine engagement ring they’d chosen suddenly thrust into his face. She’d expected Delphine to have wanted a diamond, instead her love was happy with her own birthstone set in yellow gold. It hadn’t even been half as expensive as Cosima had been expecting. Diamonds, it seemed, were not yet the marriage near-necessity they’d become back in 1910.

“Yes,” Delphine announces breathlessly, with much more joy, “we’re getting married!”

“Congratulations.” Scott comments warmly. And that’s that. She will never have to admit that again. Except maybe to her parents - which she is still putting off.

Cosima finds herself hugged more times than she’d expected. Her friends roll her eyes and tease her with her speedy change of heart upon meeting Delphine. That wasn’t it though, but she smiles and accepts their teasing with nothing else to say on the subject.

“Do you honestly think she’ll ever hold down a job? Or… you know, bang your brains out properly?” Felix asks her under his breath when Delphine is in the washroom, no doubt snooping around the apartment.

She smiles, looking over at Delphine. “Yeah. I know she will.” The latter, Cosima smiles wider, baring her canines, Delphine has already accomplished with her growing fixation with cunnilingus.

“Freaks.” Felix scoffs at her, and pats her back, “you want a joint?”

She hums, considering, it’ll be another thing to explain to Delphine, but maybe it’d be worth it for the occasional time she could get away to partake.

She takes a drag or two off Felix’s, and commences additional snacking. Sure, Delphine looks at her with her brow furrowed and she knows she’ll have to explain later.

The leave in the dark, she’s giddy, and Delphine is annoyed, but she explains marijuana on the way back to the metro stop.

“So it’s a drug.” Delphine surmises, “but not … a terribly ‘hard’ one?” It’s cute, watching Delphine try to figure all this out.

“Yup.” She nods in affirmation.

“And… though useful medicinally, you take it for pleasure?”

“That about sums it up.”

 

Delphine just shakes her head at her and kisses her cheek.

“You wanna try it?” Cosima offers, but doesn’t press further when Delphine shakes her head quickly. Letting Delphine be Delphine has been her resolution for over a month, and it was working better.

**

It was amazing how much a thing like engagement could mean, Delphine mused to herself on their way home. She’d had her ring for less than a week, it’d been just over two since Cosima had asked her to marry her.

“Are you happy about it?” Delphine leans into Cosima on the metro, resting her head against her beloved’s.

“About the engagement? Yeah… I guess.” Cosima nods. “I… it’s just not something I ever thought I’d do. Or… wanted to do. Until you.” Cosima smiles gently at the last words, and Delphine feels the tenderness in them.

She will be Cosima’s wife. She will have that much.

Delphine knows Cosima has decided this for her benefit. But Cosima had taken some joy in picking out a ring, in deciding where they wanted to host their very small wedding.

“Do you want a ring too?” Delphine leans in closer, before they are interrupted by reaching their stop, the ten minute walk to their apartment awaiting them.

“I… I don’t know?” Cosima shrugs on her way up the stairs, hands playing out some sort of explanation of their own. “I’ll wear a wedding band, when we make it official… but I don’t know if I need an engagement ring.”

The walk home is quiet, they stop to kiss several time, Delphine purposely pressing further, grabbing more of Cosima, trying to excite her.

“Hey… wait…” Cosima giggles, pushing her off when they’re about a block away from home. “Let’s get inside before we continue this.”

“What… or we’ll make love outside?” Delphine is teasing, and she knows it, but the look on Cosima’s face earns her one more soul-searing kiss, before her love slaps her derrière, and they continue home.

“Stop being such a tease.” Cosima halfheartedly pushes off another kiss, outside of their apartment.

“I think you like it.” Delphine tells her directly. “You want me to be a tease.”

“I put a ring on your finger, and suddenly you’re sex crazed.” Cosima giggles, she traipses up the stairs and unlocks the door, quickly ushering Delphine inside.

“Je t’aime.” Delphine tells her directly, before she grabs for Cosima, hauling her in with her hands as she plunders her mouth.

“Woah.. okay. I am getting pounced again.” Cosima giggles between kisses, letting Delphine unfasten her jeans along with her own, before they begin to work each other out of their various layers.

Pounced, isn’t exactly the word she’d choose, Delphine thinks as she tosses off her sweater and camisole, she indulges her addiction to Cosima. Enjoying the taste of her skin, the smell of her, the little noises she makes.

It’s easy, she knows this now. She guides Cosima back to the bedroom, nestles herself down between her legs and delights in her. Her taste, her smell. The way Cosima shakes and moans and cries out for her, the way she crests and the taste of her love’s pleasure. It excites her so easily, leaves her burning and aching, and yet… there is so much contentment she’s found here.

“Mmm.” Delphine hums happily, lying next to a very sated Cosima. “Was it good?”

“Very… Oh my god… engagement is… so hot.” Cosima giggles again, punctuating her words with kisses, as happy and delighted as she can expect.

“Oui.” She is getting used to the language, though sometimes she doesn’t understand why Cosima chooses certain words, it doesn’t bother her.

Cosima returns the favour within minutes, like Delphine knows she will. She grips dreads, lets herself moan, this is their bedroom, their bed, their love… and she wouldn’t trade it for the world. She comes in minutes, knowing that

“Happy?” Cosima lifts her head once, before teasingly ducking back down for another lick, a gentler movement of her mouth.

“C’est toujours bon.” Delphine sighs, “tu me plais.”

Fingers work into her, one by one, and though she feels a stretch, Cosima hesitates at each entry, letting her body accommodate fingers, curling and working them into her with such tenderness.

This, is different, Delphine rationalizes, as Cosima slides a fourth digit inside her, the brief stretch before her body adjusts, its sensitivity an advantage for this. Cosima’s fingers are gentle, always tender, and there’s no fear. Never of Cosima’s body with her own.

“How is this?”

“Bon.” Delphine responds, letting herself moan, letting her head fall back, letting Cosima take her. Knowing that this, will yield more pleasure, her own and Cosima’s.

It takes longer than the first orgasm, but is no less satisfying, Delphine thinks after she’s rolled over and cuddled into Cosima’s neck. The sweat drying on their bodies, soon enough they’d be cold again and forced to retreat under the duvet. At least she knows, they’ll have no trouble keeping warm this winter.

“Hey… that went well.” Cosima remarks afterwards, sucking on her fingers in an almost obscene action. yet, Delphine understood, she knew what it was to crave Cosima’s taste, to crave the feeling of Cosima’s sex clinging to her fingers.

“It was… very good.” She’s unable to hide the mirth from her eyes, or the grin from her face. Perhaps there would be soreness later, but for now she’s completely content.

“Good.” Cosima closes her eyes lazily, “we still on for brunch and botanical garden tomorrow?”

“Yes.” She sighs sleepily, knowing there’s nothing she enjoys more than falling asleep with Cosima like this. After lovemaking, in their bed. This… Delphine thinks sleepily, this could be home. Forever.

 

**

The gardens are beautiful, Cosima admits, even if it’s no longer summer. And Delphine seems to enjoy them. The greater surprise, was that her love seemed to be becoming a vegetarian all on her own. Maybe because it was easier if they both were, maybe just because.

“I wouldn’t mind getting married here.” Cosima comments looking around. Outside. In nature. Barefoot. Maybe she shouldn’t have agreed to winter, but it seemed the minimum amount of time Delphine was willing to wait. She couldn’t win them all, Cosima muses silently, tangling her fingers with Delphine’s.

“It is beautiful. But it will be far too cold, mon amour,” Delphine informs her. That was the deal. No religious ceremony. No waiting more than six months. Cosima knew exactly what she’d agreed to.

This she could get used to, little adventures with Delphine. Learning to see the world through Delphine’s eyes. Even if it meant she had to anticipate possible problems and find solutions in advance where she could.

“Cosima…” Delphine’s hand grabs her shoulder excitedly, a sign that her lover has seen something new.

“Yes?” Cosima turns to face her, gearing up for excitement, or alternatively some long winded explanation to ensue. Instead all she sees is another lesbian couple with an infant, getting family pictures done, likely by a friend, the park. It’s cute, and Cosima feels like shrugging. It’s such a nothing little thing.

“Do those… do those women have a baby?” Delphine’s eyes are wide, shock and surprise playing out in them.

Cosima glances over at what is obviously a couple with their child. “Looks like it.”

Delphine bites her lip, before looking at her with a hopeful face. “Is that… possible?”

Cosima laughs to herself. She wants to swear, or curse or burst out with something that will probably be a very strong no. Instead she takes a deep breath. She hopes Delphine means theoretically, but knows enough to understand she likely wants to apply this concept to the two of them directly.

“Yeah, I’ll explain that. When we get home.” Cosima promises. Not in public, just in case.


End file.
